a 

1  .-.    . 

: 


THE 


PRAYER-MEETING 


ITS  IMPROVEMENT. 


BY 

REV.    LEWIS    O.    THOMPSON, 

PASTOR    8KCOND   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH,  PEORIA,   ILL. 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 
REV.    A.    E.    KITTREDGE. 


"  Let   all    things    be    done    unto    edifying." 


W  .     G .    £  O  L  $[  E  S , 

77    MADISON    STRKKT. 


COPYRIGHT,  1878,  BY 

W.    G.    HOLMES. 


8KEEN   &   8TUABT, 
PRINTERS, 

77   MADISON    ST.,  CHICAGO. 


TO   THE   CONGREGATION 


PEOKIA,    ILL., 

THIS     VOLUME 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED  BY 

THEIR     PASTOR. 


PREFACE. 


This  book  is  designed  as  a  go-between,  between  pastor  and  peo- 
ple, to  call  their  combined  attention  to  some  hints  and  principles 
that  would  enlarge  the  efficiency  of  the  prayer-meeting,  and  to  as- 
sure those  to  whom  public  speaking  is  a  burden,  that  their  experi- 
ence is  common  to  the  majority  of  mankind,  and  should  give  them 
no  uneasiness,  beyond  spurring  them  on  until  they  acquire  the  habit 
of  extempore  speech. 

If  the  prayer-meeting  is  to  be  more  than  a  mere  side-show  to 
the  church,  if  it  is  to  rise  into  one  of  the  great  departments  of  suc- 
cessful Christian  work,  there  must  be  as  much  thought,  prayer  and 
effort  given  to  it,  as  to  either  of  the  Sabbath  services  or  the  Sabbath 
school.  What  is  needed  in  many  cases  is  such  a  method  for  its 
conduct,  and  such  a  hearty  co-operation  of  all  in  that  method,  as 
shall  make  the  prayer-meeting,  both  in  interest  and  attendance,  an 
undoubted  success. 

May  the  Lord  bless  for  good  whatever  of  truth  these  chapters 
contain,  and  make  them  instrumental  in  stirring  up  the  zeal  of  the 
churches  to  untiring  labor  and  faithful  prayer  in  the  advancement 
of  His  cause. 

Go  little  book — if  God  shall  be  pleased  to  commission  thee — 
from  church  to  church  as  an  evangelist  in  the  cause  of  the  Prayer- 
Meeting  and  its  Improvement. 

LEWIS   O.    THOMPSON. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  THE  PRAYER-MEETING  AS  A  SUBJECT  OF  STUDY,       -        -  11 

II.  THE  PEOPLE'S  MEETING,    -------  ie 

III.  THE  NEED  OF  PREPARATION,  ------  22 

IV.  THK  DAILY  CULTIVATION  OF  PIETY,        -       ...  33 

V.  THE  TOPICS,     ---  ------  y      42 

VI.  THE  TOPICS  ILLUSTRATED,         ------  49 

VIII.  ONE  METHOD  FOR  THE  SELECTION  OF  TOPICS,  -  -  67 

IX.  BIBLE  HEADINGS  FOR  THE  PRAYER-MEETING,  -  75 

X.  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  BIBLE  READINGS,                            .       -  82 

XI.  A  PLAN  FOR  EACH  MEETING,     ------  93 

XII.  VARIETY  IN  SUCCESSIVE  MEETINGS,  -----  104 

XIII.  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  PRAYER-MEETING,          -       -  110 

XIV.  How  TO  MAKE  PRAYER-MEETINGS  INTERESTING,        -       -  lift 
XV.  UNIFORM  TOPICS,         --------  122 

XVI.  STEPS  TOWARDS  UNIFORMITY,       ------  131 

XVII.  HELPS  TO  SPEAKING  IN  PUBLIC,        -----  145 

XVIII.  How  TO  SECURE  ATTENDANCE,     ------  159 

XIX.  How  PRAYER-MEETINGS  ABE  KEPT  AT  A  WHITE  HEAT.  168 

XX.  TREATMENT  OF  THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT,       -  172 

XXI.  LAYING  OUT  WORK,        --------  175 

XXII.  HINTS  NEW  AND  OLD,         -------  jgC 

XXIII.  DAILY  PRAYER-MEETING  TOPICS,          -       -       ...  1% 


INTRODUCTION. 


It  is  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  value  of  the  prayer- 
meeting,  as  it  stands  related  to  the  life  and  usefulness  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  In  fact,  no  other  service  can  be  compared 
with  this  in  importance — not  even  the  Sabbath  preaching,  nor  the 
instruction  in  the  Sunday-school — for  without  a  live  prayer-meet- 
ing the  church  will  be  spiritually  cold,  the  Sabbath  services  will 
be  formal,  and  the  children  will  be  fed  with  husks  instead  of  pro- 
visions from  the  Master's  table. 

The  weekly  prayer-meeting  is  the  pulse  of  the  church,— one  of 
the  most  encouraging  signs  of  the  times,  in  the  religious  world,  is 
the  increased  interest  manifested  by  pastors  and  churches  in  this 
topic,  and  the  new  life  and  power  which  now  are  found  in  many 
of  these  hallowed  circles  of  united  prayer  and'  praise.  Some  of  us 
can  remember  the  prayer-meetings  of  our  childhood,  when  the  num- 
ber present  ranged  from  ten  to  twenty  or  thirty,  and  most  of  these 
were  the  female  members — when  the  leader  occupied  most  of  the 
hour  in  cold,  doctrinal  remarks,  and  then  remarked  :  "  Brethren 
the  meeting  is  open,"  after  which  came  the  solemn  pauses,  only 
broken  by  this  and  that  good  deacon  taking  pity  on  the  meeting, 
and  making  a  few  forced  and  uninteresting  remarks.  Oh  !  how 
cold  those  meetings  were  !  cold  enough  to  freeze  up  any  longings 
to  be  a  Christian,  in  the  breast  of  a  sinner  who  might  have 
chanced  to  happen  in.  How  we  children  used  to  dread  being  com- 
pelled to  attend,  preferring  even  to  go  to  bed  earlier  than  usual, 
rather  than  to  sit  for  an  hour  in  that  spiritual  refrigerator.  Such 
prayer-meetings  are,  we  trust,  seldom  found  now,  for  with  the 
increased  interest  in  the  Sabbath-school,  the  weekly  meeting  has 
been  steadily  growing  in  importance,  in  the  estimation  of  Chris- 
tians of  all  denominations. 

Now,  upon  whom  shall  we  lay  the  blame  for  a  lifeless  prayer- 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll. 

meeting  ?  The  safest  course  is  to  distribute  it  all  round,  for 
usually  pastor  and  church  members  are  all  at  fault — the  pastor  for  a 
lack  of  preparation,  the  people  for  a  lack  of  co-operation.  By 
lack  of  preparation  we  do  not  mean  as  regards  careful  thought 
upon  the  chapter  to  be  read,  for  we  hold  most  firmly  that  one  of 
the  chilling  influences  in  such  a  meeting  is  the  lengthy  and 
elaborate  "opening"  by  the  pastor,  leaving  nothing  for  the 
brethren  to  say,  and  dampening  all  enthusiasm  to  speak.  The 
pastor  should  simply  open  the  meeting,  and  read  the  chapter,  say- 
ing nothing,  unless  it  be  a  single  thought  to  give  direction  to  the 
thoughts  of  others.  His  remarks  will  come  in  better  at  the  close' 
when  he  can  occupy  five  minutes  in  gathering  up  the  suggestions 
which  have  been  uttered,  and,  perhaps,  add  one  or  more  prac- 
tical lessons  not  mentioned  by  others. 

Then  the  pastor's  opening  remarks  are  apt  to  be  more  theologi- 
cal than  experimental,  and  they  serve  to  seal  the  lips  of  those 
whose  theological  education  may  be  deficient,  but  whose  experi- 
ence of  the  preciousness  of  Christ  may  be  very  rich. 

Then,  again,  the  pastor  has  an  opportunity  twice  on  the 
Sabbath  to  instruct  the  church  on  theological  truths,  but  the 
prayer-meeting  belongs  peculiarly  to  the  people, — it  is  their 
hour,  not  his,  and  therefore,  it  is  stealing  from  them  their 
property,  when  one-half  of  the  time  is  occupied  by  the  pastor, 
who  should  simply  lead  and  control  the  exercises.  But  the 
pastor  may  prepare  for  this  meeting  by  a  wise  selection  of  two  or 
three  persons,  to  whom  he  will  state  the  chapter  to  be  read,  bo 
that  they  will  be  ready  to  speak  as  soon  as  he  takes  his  seat,  thus 
avoiding  pauses  which  kill  a  prayer-meeting,  and  making  sure  the 
interest  of  the  remarks  made.  It  may  happen  that  these  selected 
speakers  will  have  no  chance  to  speak — so  much  the  better — but 
they  will  be  ready  to  fill  any  possible  gap,  and  their  earnest  words 
will  kindle  an  inspiration  in  other  hearts  and  will  open  other  lips- 
In  this  selection,  the  same  persons  should  not  be  often  called  on  ; 
and  there  should  be  a  difference  of  age  between  them,  so  that  the 
young,  as  well  as  the  older,  will  feel  that  the  pastor  looks  to 
them  for  the  support  of  the  meeting.  The  wisdom  of  such  a 


Vlll.  INTRODUCTION. 

course  will  be  apparent  when  we  remember  that  our  business 
men  come  to  the  evening  meeting  from  the  cares  and  anxieties  of 
the  counting-room,  and  it  can  hardly  be  expected  that  they  will 
be  ready  to  speak  at  once  on  spiritual  matters,  unless  they  have 
been  able  to  prepare  their  minds,  by  a  knowledge  of  the  passage 
to  be  read. 

Then,  in  regard  to  the  exercises  of  the  hour,  we  often  err  in 
running  our  prayer-meetings  in  a  stereotyped  form  so  that  they 
become  dry  and  uninteresting — the  same  thing  week  after  week. 
There  should  be  plenty  of  singing, — not  an  entire  hymn,  but  a 
verse  thrown  in  between  the  prayers  and  remarks.  Our  people 
love  to  sing,  and  while  but  few  may  be  able  to  speak,  all  can 
praise  God  in  song.  Dispense  with  the  instrument,  if  possible, 
but  if  it  is  used,  do  not  let  precious  moments  be  occupied  by  play- 
ing the  melody  all  through,  or  by  interludes,  which  are  always  a 
serious  infliction  on  the  people.  Insist  that  the  remarks  be  very 
brief,  not  more  than  three  minutes,  and  if  the  brother  is  burdened 
to  say  more,  let  him  keep  it  carefully  for  another  time.  Three 
minutes  are  long  enough  for  the  utterance  of  one  thought,  and 
this  is  all  that  any  one  person  should  give  in  a  meeting  of  only 
one  hour's  duration.  Have  more  praying  than  talking.  Niany 
a  so-called  prayer-meeting  is  no  prayer-meeting  at  all,  but  is 
all  talk,  talk,  talk — and  it  is  no  wonder  they  are  dull  and 
powerless.  The  purpose  of  these  gatherings  of  the  church  is  to 
gain  spiritual  strength,  and  prayer  is  the  grand  channel  through 
which  this  strength  can  be  received  ;  and,  therefore,  make  the 
hour  full  of  prayer — short  prayers,  earnest,  simple  prayers  but  a 
great  many  of  them.  But  we  are  exceeding  the  limits  of  an 
introductory  article,  and  close  with  urging  upon  all  who  love  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  desire  its  spiritual  health  and  purity  and 
power,  to  love  the  prayer-meeting,  to  seek  its  increasing  interest, 
so  that  it  shall  be  the  grand  spiritual  armory  of  believers,  and  the 
very  gate  of  heaven  to  many,  many  souls. 

May  this  little  book  have  a  blessed  mission  among  the 
churches  ! 

A.  E.  KITTREDGE. 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING 

AND  ITS  IMPROVEMENT. 


CHAPTER    I. 
THE  PRAYER-MEETING  AS  A  SUBJECT  OF  STUDY. 

How  to  improve  the  prayer-meeting  may  not  seem 
so  serious  a  question  to  our  large  and  prosperous  city 
churches.  Evidently  it  is  easier  for  them  to  conduct 
the  meetings  to  general  satisfaction  and  edification 
than  for  some  of  the  smaller  country  churches.  They 
have  a  membership  running  up  to  many  hundreds, 
and  out  of  that  number  many  who  are  fluent  speakers, 
both  by  culture  and  profession;  whilst  in  the  country 
the  conditions  are  less  favorable,  both  because  the 
membership  is  often  below  a  hundred,  and  there  are 
not  in  that  number  more  than  half  a  dozen  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  taking  a  part  in  the  exercises  of  the 
meeting.  Now,  under  such  circumstances,  the  charge 
and  improvement  of  the  prayer-meeting  becomes  a 
serious  question. 

It  is  almost  an  axiom  that  the  successful  prayer- 
meeting  will  make  the  successful  church;  and  it  is 
equally  true  that  if  the  prayer-meeting  is  not  a  success, 
it  can  be  made  so.  There  are  principles  which  apply 


12  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

to  its  conduct,  just  as  well  as  to  successful  business  or 
school-keeping.  As  a  matter  of  course,  I  would  look 
for  no  success  which  is  not  connected  with  the  "Bible 
and  with  Bible  methods,  and  which  does  not  depend 
upon  the  Holy  Spirit  for  its  inspiration. 

It  may  be  true,  also,  that  the  precise  method  which 
would  insure  success  to  one  church,  might  not,  with- 
out some  modification,  do  the  same  for  another. 
There  are  differences  in  culture  between  different 
congregations.  But  whatever  the  method  pursued,  it 
should  be  such,  that  while  it  is  continuously  improv- 
ing the  prayer-meeting,  it  shall  at  the  same  time  im- 
prove the  intellectual  and  spiritual  condition  of  the 
church. 

The  prayer-meeting  is  all  too  generally  a  place  to 
which  many  laymen  go  "  with  fear  and  trembling." 
With  many  it  is  a  comfortless  thing;  for  they  are 
fearing  all  the  time  that  their  pastor  will  see  them  and 
call  upon  them :  "  Well,  Brother  Blank,  how  is  it 
with  you?  I  hope  you  will  testify.  Haven't  you  got 
a  word  to  say?  Or,  will  you  not  lead  us  in  prayer? " 
I  think  I  know  why  there  are  more  women  to  attend 
prayer-meeting  than  men.  They  do  not  have  to 
speak,  and  for  them,  doubtless,  there  is  peace  and 
comfort  in  the  exercises.  I  have  known  men  who 
have  sat  through  a  prayer-meeting  in  a  sort  of  cold 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  13 

chill,  with  nerves  unstrung,  wishing  the  minister 
would  omit  them;  looking  solemn  and  anxious,  until 
the  benediction  descended  upon  them  with  a  joy 
almost  indescribable.  There  are  men  so  constituted 
that  a  call  upon  them  to  speak  or  pray  seems  to  send 
every  idea  they  ever  had  to  the  four  quarters  of  the 
compass;  and  when,  in  obedience  to  the  call,  they  do 
arise,  though  it  be  the  coldest  kind  of  weather,  the 
sweat  starts  and  runs  in  rivulets.  "  Why,  sir,"  said 
one  of  the  best  men  in  the  world,  "  if  I  was  to  under- 
take to  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer  when  called  upon  in 
meeting,  I  don't  think  I  could  do  it;  and  yet  I  know 
it  as  well  as  my  own  name."  A  man  of  a  very  ner- 
vous and  sensitive  temperament  would  almost  as  soon 
have  a  tooth  pulled  as  to  attend  prayer-meeting  and 
sit  through  the  terrible  ordeal.  In  such  cases,  attend- 
ance upon  a  prayer-meeting  becomes  more  a  duty 
than  a  pleasure. 

Nor  is  it  anything  against  a  man  that  may  be  bash- 
ful, timid,  or  unused  to  public  speaking,  if  his  first 
trials  should  prove  failures.  There  have  been  able 
men  and  profound  thinkers  who  have  been  unable  to 
think  and  speak  fluently  before  an  audience.  Indeed, 
it  is  a  matter  of  history  that  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
orators  in  their  "  maiden  speeches  "  have  completely 
failed. 


14  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

And  then,  besides  this,  there  is  another  thing  to  be 
borne  in  mind,  and  that  is  this:  the  public  does  not 
have  the  same  knowledge  of  our  mental  states  that 
we  ourselves  possess.  Some  men  judge  of  the  effect 
of  their  remarks  or  prayers  by  their  own  feelings,  and 
because  these  are  depressed,  they  think  they  cannot 
speak  to  edification,  and  so  had  better  keep  still. 
Their  thoughts,  while  they  are  on  their  feet,  seem  to 
be  flying  about  in  utter  confusion,  like  flakes  in  a 
snow-storm,  and  they  feel  that  others  must  be  as  pain- 
fully conscious  of  their  agitation  as  they  themselves 
are. 

How,  then,  can  we  assist  such  men  as  these  to  take 
part  with  greater  pleasure  to  themselves  and  profit  to 
others?  How  can  we  assure  the  timid  that  practice 
will  soon  confirm  their  nerves,  and  give  them  a  more 
orderly  command  of  their  thoughts  while  upon  their 
feet,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  terrifying  audience? 
How  can  we  conduct  the  meetings  so  as  to  make 
them  comfortable  for  all,  and  cause  them  to  abound  in 
spiritual  refreshment  and  Christian  fellowship?  How 
can  we  discover  just  the  method  for  our  particular 
charges,  that  will  wake  up  the  mind  of  all,  stimulate 
Bible  reading  and  research,  as  well  as  stir  up  their 
zeal  to  renewed  activity  in  all  departments  of  Chris- 
tian work?  How  can  we  make  available  for  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  15 

good  of  the  church  just  such  talent  as  our  members 
now  possess?  How  can  we  secure  the  attendance  of 
all  the  membership  upon  the  prayer-meeting?  In  a 
word,  how  can  we  make  our  prayer-meeting  "  The 
Model  Prayer- Meeting  ?" 

The  cause  of  Christ  and  the  welfare  of  the  church 
at  large  emphasize  these  and  related  questions,  and 
demand  from  every  minister  that  he  make  their  solu- 
tion the  subject  of  special  study,  and  the  improve- 
ment of  the  prayer-meeting  a  matter  of  prayerful  and 
untiring  endeavor.  The  following  pages  are  offered 
as  a  series  of  hints  in  this  direction. 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE  PEOPLE'S  MEETING. 

THE  prayer-meeting  on  some  evening  of  the 
week  is  the  people's  meeting.  The  Sabbath  is  the 
day  for  the  ministration  of  the  pastor.  They  each 
have  their  day.  If  it  is  not  wise  for  the  people  to 
conduct  the  services  of  the  Sabbath,  neither  is  it 
wise  for  the  pastor  to  monopolize  the  exercises  of 
the  week-day  meeting.  If  it  is  true  that  the  active 
piety  of  a  church  rises  no  higher  than  it  manifests 
itself  in  the  prayer-meeting,  so  that  here,  as  on  a 
barometer,  all  changes  in  spiritual  life  are  faithfully 
recorded,  then  certainly  too  much  attention  cannot 
be  given  by  both  pastor  and  people  to  the  conduct 
of  the  prayer-meeting. 

The  people  need  just  such  a  meeting  as  the  week- 
day meeting  is,  and  ought  to  be,  and  what  it  can  be 
made  to  be,  if  it  is  not  already.  There  is  so  little 
place  given  in  our  churches  on  Sunday  for  the  par- 
ticipation of  the  people  in  its  services;  and  hence -so 
manv  have  come  to  regard  the  day  as  an  entertain- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  17 

ment  in  eloquence  and  music.  If  these  are  wanting, 
if  they  cannot  hear  a  fine  sermon  from  one  end  of 
the  church,  and  be  soothed  by  sweet  music  from  the 
other,  they  will  not  go  to  church — no,  not  they. 
But  offer  them  a  lecture  and  a  concert  agreeably 
combined,  they  may  consent  to  go.  Where  this 
idea  prevails,  the  people  have  forgotten  that  on 
Sunday  they  are  to  publicly  appear  before  God,  to 
render  unto  Him  worship,  prayer,  praise  and 
thanksgiving,  with  the  confession1  of  their  sins  and 
the  earnest  supplication  for  new  supplies  of  grace; 
and  all  this  they  can  do,  though  the  sermon  be 
never  so  feeble  and  the  singing  never  so  poor. 
But  the  people  need  a  meeting  in  which  to  tell  their 
experience,  comfort  one  another,  pray  for  one 
another,  and,  where  the  case  requires  it,  bear  one 
another's  burdens.  Life  in  the  market  and  the 
domestic  circle,  in  the  shop  and  the  store,  in  the 
kitchen  and  the  school-room,  in  the  street  and  the 
field,  at  home  and  abroad,  has  its  trials  and  burdens, 
its  anxieties  and  sorrows,  its  temptations  and  defeats, 
as  well  as  its  joys  and  triumphs.  Griefs  are  lessened 
and  joys  are  multiplied  when  others  share  them 
with  us. 

"  Thoughts  shut  up  want  air, 
And  spoil,  like  bales  unopened  to  the  sun." 


I  8  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

How  precious,  then,  is  the  privilege  that  admits  us 
to  the  circle  of  congenial  friends  and  steadfast  com- 
panions on  the  road  from  earth  to  heaven.  Here 
they  meet  to  "  rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice, 
and  weep  with  them  that  weep;"  and  so,  by  mutual 
vows  and  endeavors  and  sympathies,  fainting  hearts 
are  made  resolute,  and  the  tread  of  uncertain  feet 
firm  and  victorious. 

"As  bees  mix'd  nectar  draw  from  fragrant  flow'rs, 
So  men  from  friendship,  wisdom  and  delight." 

How  eagerly  the  fainting  Israelite  gathered  the 
freshly-fallen  manna!  With  what  alacrity  did  not 
the  thirsty  tribes  bound  forward  as  the  majestic 
palm-trees  arose  before  them  in  the  distance — seventy 
palm-trees,  as  they  clustered  around  the  twelve 
springs  of  Elim,  and  fed  their  roots  around  these 
living  fountains — how  joyously,  we  may  imagine, 
did  not  the  air  resound  with  shouts  of  "Water! 
water!  there  is  water  at  the  roots  of  the  palm- 
trees!  "  When  the  traveler  is  about  to  sink  beneath 
the  heat  and  the  thirst  of  his  journey  through  the 
arid  wastes,  he  sees  just  before  him  the  green  oasis, 
and  starts  forward  with  renewed  hope  to  reach  its 
shade  and  refreshment.  When  the  summer's  heat 
is  oppressive,  and  to  breathe  is  burdensome,  how 
gladly  mankind  seeks  the  cooling  beach  of  lake  or 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  1 9 

sea,  or  the  green  swards,  the  cooling  glens,  and  the 
shady  trees,  rich  in  leaf  and  fruit,  as  these  may  be 
found  amid  the  lawn,  the  field  and  the  forest. 

Ought  not  the  prayer-meeting  on  the  midday  of 
the  week  to  be  all  this  to  the  Christian,  who,  having 
set  his  face  Zionward,  is  making  the  journey  to  the 
celestial  city ;  yes,  more  than  all  these  to  him,  whose 
feet  cannot  rest  till  they  walk  in  safety  thy  golden 
streets,  O  Jerusalem !  Ought  not  the  prayer-meeting 
to  be  the  tree  with  fruit  and  foliage — the  common  on 
which  feet  are  cooled  as  they  walk  and  sink  into 
the  grassy  carpet — the  oasis  with  its  refreshment — 
Elim  with  its  seventy  palm-trees  and  twelve  foun- 
tains of  water  that  never  run  dry — the  company  of 
friends  where  words  may  be  opened  to  the  sun, 
where  criticism  shall  be  disarmed,  and  what  we 
desire  to  say  shall  be  better  understood  than  what  we 
do  say,  if  for  any  reason  our  words  are  inadequate? 

And  just  an  instance  to  show  what  freedom  and 
friendliness  characterize  the  prayer  circle  may  not 
be  out  of  place  here.  Not  long  ago  I  attended  a 
prayer  meeting  in  Chicago.  Both  pastor  and  people 
were  strangers  to  me.  As  the  meeting  was  nearing 
its  close,  a  convert  got  up  to  speak.  He  was  full  of 
love  and  zeal,  as  all  converts  are,  but  he  was  evid- 
ently unused  to  public  speaking.  His  hands  were 


2O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

kept  flying  constantly  and  all  about  his  head  as 
if  fighting  an  imaginary  wasp's  nest,  whilst  his 
body  kept  bobbing  up  and  down  all  the  time  in  a 
ludicrous  manner.  Most  certainly  he  satisfied  that 
rule  of  eloquence  which  makes  .it  consist  in  a 
threefold  action;  and  besides  all  this,  his  English 
was  quite  broken,  and  so  rapidly  spoken  that  it  was 
difficult  to  catch  word  and  sense.  Did  they  laugh? 
Not  exactly;  a  smile  or  two  may  have  been  sup- 
pressed, but  that  was  all.  Anywhere  else  he  would 
have  been  greeted  with  uproarious  laughter.  Here 
however,  we  all  felt  like  going  up  to  the  brother 
to  thank  him  for  his  remarks  and  bid  him  God-speed 
in  his  efforts.  It  is  more  fit  that  criticism  should 
sleep  in  the  prayer  circle  than  the  members.  Who- 
ever feels  called  upon  to  pray  or  speak,  may  do  so 
in  the  feeling  that  all  will  be  kindly  received,  and 
that  nothing  but  generous  sympathy  awaits  him. 

The  prayer-meeting,  then,  is  the  people's  meeting, 
and  they  support  its  exercises.  Here  they  witness 
for  Christ;  here  they  renew  their  consecration ;  here 
is  the  place  where  much  good  may  be  done  and 
much  good  received  by  words  of  encouragement  and 
sympathy;  and  as  such  the  people  should  relish 
its  opportunities  and  not  neglect  its  privileges.  Had 
not  Thomas  been  absent  from  just  one  meeting  of 
the  disciples,  he  would  have  received,  eight  days 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  21 

earlier  than  he  did,  the  proof  he  required  to  save  him 
from  skepticism;  and  had  he  absented  himself  con- 
tinuously, he  might  have  died  in  unbelief. 

People  are  to  put  themselves  in  the  way  of 
receiving  the  blessings  of  God;  for  the  church  in  its 
ordinances  is  the  channel  of  grace,  and  our  spiritual 
wants  will  be  best  ministered  unto  when  we  are 
most  constant  in  our  attendance  upon  all  the  meet- 
ings. And  it  may  prove  in  our  case  as  in  that  of 
Thomas,  that  the  meetings  we  miss  are  the  very 
ones  which  contain  the  thoughts,  the  prayers,  the 
songs,  and  the  experiences  for  lack  of  which  our 
souls  are  famishing,  and  we  are  subjected  to  those 
temptations  which  weaken  rather  than  confirm  our 

faith. 

"I've  found  a  glad  hosanna 

For  every  woe  and  wail ; 
A  handful  of  sweet  manna 

When  grapes  of  Eshcol  fail ; 
I've  found  a  Rock  of  Ages 

When  desert  wells  are  dry ; 
And  after  weary  stages, 

I've  found  an  Elim  nigh. 

My  Saviour,  Thee  possessing, 

I  have  found  the  joy,  the  balm, 
The  healing  and  the  blessing, 

The  sunshine  and  the  psalm ; 
The  promise  for  the  fearful, 

The  Elim  for  the  faint; 
The  rainbow  for  the  tearful, 

The  glory  for  the  saint!" 


CHAPTER    III. 
PREPARATION. 

The  pastor  does  not  presume  to  enter  the  pulpit 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath  without  proper  preparation. 
He  has  a  very  low  view  of  his  duty,  the  dignity  of 
the  pulpit,  as  well  as  of  the  privilege  and  pleasure  of 
preaching,  who  thinks  anything  is  good  enough  for 
the  pulpit,  and  is  willing  to  rush  before  his  people,  as 
the  horse  to  battle,  with  stray  scraps  of  thought. 
When  Dr.  Beecher  once  preached  to  the  students  of 
Andover,  and  was  asked  how  long  it  took  him  to 
prepare  that  sermon,  he  replied  in  his  peculiar  way, 
"  Twenty  years."  The  full  sermon  comes  from  the 
full  preparation  and  years  of  study  lying  back  of  it. 

The  pastor  cannot  rely  upon  inspiration  to  take 
the  place  of  study,  nor  look  for  a  miracle  to  supply 
him  text  and  thought  at  the  time  he  is  to  preach. 
It  is  true  that  the  disciples  were  to  take  no  thought 
as  to  what  they  should  say  when  brought  before 
magistrates,  for  in  the  same  hour  they  should  be 
told  what  to  say.  Emergencies  and  exceptional 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  23 

cases  will  often  arise  when  the  preacher  will  have  to 
rely  upon  God  for  his  sermon  entirely;  and  then  the 
sermon  comes  to  him  not  as  a  substitute  for  his 
fidelity  but  in  connection  with  it,  and  because  more 
will  be  accomplished  by  it  than  by  that  which 
could  have  been  premeditated.  At  one  of  the  places 
in  which  Rev.  C.  C.  Finney  was  holding  revival 
services,  an  infidel  club  was  formed,  it  is  said,  for 
the  purpose  of  opposing  Christian  work.  The 
leader  was  a  physician,  who,  on  one  occasion, 
slipped  into  the  church  and  seated  himself  in  the 
choir.  Mr.  Finney,  coming  in,  and,  as  usual,  glanc- 
ing about  his  audience,  saw  this  man,  and  at  once 
changed  his  text,  and  preached  that  morning  a 
powerful  sermon  on  the  plan  of  salvation,  taking 
as  his  text:  "For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  His  only-begotten  Son  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."  In  the  afternoon  the  Doctor  came 
again,  and  the  sermon,  on  the  text,  "  How  shall  we 
escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?  "  seemed  to 
be  the  logical  sequence  of  the  morning's  sermon. 
In  the  evening  the  Doctor  was  again  present,  and 
the  sermon  was  a  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter, 
from  the  text,  "  But  they  made  light  of  it."  A  lady 
spoke  to  the  Doctor  at  the  close  of  the  service: 


24  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

"Doctor,  you've  heard  the  truth;  now,  are  you 
going  away  to-night  to  make  light  of  it?"  "No, 
ma'am,  I  am  not,"  was  his  reply.  That  night 
he  tried  to  sleep,  but  at  midnight  rose  and  paced 
the  room,  until  he  cried  to  his  wife :  "  Wife,  I  can't 
live  so,  and  I  won't  live  so."  The  next  day  he 
stood  up  in  the  meeting,  his  powerful  frame  quiv- 
ering with  emotion,  and  said :  "  Look  at  me ! 
What's  this?  It's  God,  and  I'm  a  sinner!  "  Riding 
that  day,  he  met  one  of  his  infidel  friends  on  the 
road  and  stopped  him.  "  Whedon,"  said  he,  "do 
you  think  there  are  any  good  men  ? "  "  Yes,  of 
course  I  do."  "  Whedon,  do  you  think  all  men 
are  good  ? "  "  Yes,  I  do."  "  Whedon,  don't  you 
think  there  are  some  wicked  men?  "  "  No,  I  don't." 
"Whedon,  you  lie,  and  you  know  you  lie;"  and 
then  the  Doctor  rode  rapidly  on." 

Now,  as  Mr.  Finney  was  in  the  habit  of  going 
from  place  to  place  to  labor  as  an  evangelist, 
he  no  doubt  had  a  number  of  sermons  prepared 
for  this  especial  work,  and  the  inference  is  a 
fair  one  that  these  sermons  had  the  logical  sequence 
which  study  and  perhaps  previous  use  had  given 
them,  and  having  many  arrows  in  his  quiver,  he 
would  naturally  select  those  that  would  be  best 
adapted  to  reach  certain  persons  in  his  audience. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  25 

The  example  of  the  disciples  is  exceptional,  of 
course;  for  the}'  had  a  particular  promise  to  rely 
upon.  In  their  missionary  labors  they  would  en- 
counter clangers  and  difficulties  too  great  for  human 
prudence  and  premeditation  to  remove,  and  there- 
fore the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  assist  them 
gave  peace  and  quiet  to  their  minds,  and  sent  them 
forward  in  their  labors  with  hope  and  courage. 
God  will  supply  all  need  in  the  hour  of  emergency ; 
"  for  without  Me  ye  can  do  nothing " — but  God 
does  not  promise  to  do  for  us  what  He  designs 
we  shall  do  for  ourselves.  As  relates  to  diligence, 
study  and  preparation,  their  need  is  well  expressed 
in  that  Cromwellian  motto,  "  Trust  in  God,  but  keep 
your  powder  dry." 

But  as  the  prayer-meeting,  in  the  main,  is  the 
people's  meeting,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  ask  if 
they  need  preparation  for  its  exercises?  And  to 
give  this  pointed  application,  we  may  ask  ourselves, 
"  For  what  purpose  do  we  attend  the  prayer-meet- 
ing?" When  we  clearly  understand  its  object,  we 
shall  better  see  to  what  extent  preparation  is  neces- 
sary. 

This  meeting  is  needed  in  order  that  the  religious 
life  of  the  church  may  find  public  expression  by  the 
people  themselves.  Soldiers  come  together  that  they 

3 


26  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

may  drill  and  perfect  themselves  in  the  manual  of 
arms.  Soldiers  who  cannot  execute  the  commands 
of  the  officer  with  alacrity  and  uniformity  would 
make  a  sorry  army,  and  but  little  headway  against 
an  enemy  well-officered  and  in  a  state  of  splendid 
discipline.  The  people  should  come  together,  that 
like  comrades  they  may  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
and  by  the  expression  of  their  trials  and  victories, 
their  confessions  and  their  aspirations,  and  their 
words  of  prayer  and  praise,  they  may  go  through 
the  exercises  of  the  spiritual  manual,  and  learn  how 
good  a  thing  fellowship  is,  and  what  a  blessed 
privilege  the  communion  of  saints  forms  for  us 
here  below;  and  in  thus  sharing  our  experiences 
of  joy  and  sorrow,  of  faith,  hope  and  love,  they 
may  learn  the  better  to  keep  step  together  in 
the  Christian  life,  and  make  our  conflict  with 
the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil,  more  victorious. 
The  people  need  this  meeting  as  an  aid  to  growth 
in  grace.  The  experience  of  every  Christian  will 
show  that  his  seasons  of  most  rapid  progress  in 
the  Christian  walk  and  in  the  attainment  of  the 
Christian  graces  coincide  with  the  seasons  when 
he  was  faithful  in  the  use  of  means,  regular  in 
attendance  upon  the  ordinances  of  God's  house 
and  the  prayer-meeting,  and  when  his-  voice  was 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  2  7 

lifted  up  to  praise  God  in  company  with  his 
brethren.  Times  of  backsliding  and  lukewarm 
indifference  will  be  found  to  have  been  those  in 
which  he  neglected  the  means  of  grace,  and  when 
what  he  considered  of  more  importance  kept  him 
from  the  prayer-meeting.  Guerilla  warfare  does 
not  equal  that  service  which  is  regular  and  sys- 
tematic. 

The  people  need  the  prayer-meeting  for  the 
cultivation  of  the  devotional  spirit.  Songs  of  praise 
acquire  a  power  when  tuned  by  many  voices,  and 
especially  so  if  they  are  sung  with  the  spirit 
and  the  understanding.  Words  of  prayer,  how- 
ever simple,  if  heartfelt,  possess  a  reflex  influence 
and  a  new  power  from  the  assenting  presence  of 
the  brethren.  When  "  amen,"  either  audibly  or 
silently,  is  added  to  the  prayer,  it  becomes  the 
prayer  of  all,  and  receives  force  from  that  very 
circumstance.  God  does  not  judge  the  prayer  by 
the  graces  of  rhetoric  and  the  rules  of  grammar, 
but  by  its  faitli  and  sincerity.  "  Likewise  the 
Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities:  for  we  know 
not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought;  but 
the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered."  Words  with- 
out heart  in  them,  however  eloquent  otherwise, 


28  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

never  find  their  way  to  heaven,  but  rise  about  as 
high  as  the  head.  We  are  blessed  in  the  attend- 
ance of  those  meetings — our  faith  is  confirmed,  our 
love  is  warmed,  and  our  hope  is  encouraged — the 
whole  life  is  progressively  sanctified — which  are 
marked  by  the  absence  of  formal  praise  and  stilted 
prayers.  From  such  meetings,  where  our  hearts 
have  melted  under  divine  love,  where  our  souls 
have  been  refreshed  with  heavenly  manna  and 
water  flowing  from  the  living  Rock,  one  does 
not  think  of  rushing  to  places  of  frivolity  and 
worldly  amusement. 

When  Moses  was  coming  down  from  the  mount 
where  he  had  communed  with  God  during  forty 
days,  and  the  wicked  and  thoughtless  frivolity  and 
idolatry  of  his  people  met  his  gaze,  his  soul  was 
filled  with  righteous  indignation,  and  the  two 
tables  of  stone  were  dashed  in  pieces  at  his  feet. 
The  contrast  was  too  great  and  too  sudden — com- 
munion with  God  in  its  power  and  sweetness  on 
the  one  hand,  and  gross  superstition  and  naked 
idolatry  on  the  other. 

The  people  need  the  prayer-meeting  that  they 
may  have  an  opportunity,  in  the  spirit  of  Heb. 
10  :  24,  25,  to  study  each  other  with  special  reference 
to  temperment  and  peculiarities,  and  that  so  they 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  29 

mav  be  able  more  readily  to  provoke  each  the  other 
unto  love  and  to  good  works.  Such  provocation 
as  shall  make  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  grow  and  ripen 
is  not  only  permissible,  but  even  commendable. 
The  Christian  is  to  regard  his  brethren  as  text-books 
for  study,  with  the  view  of  constantly  improving 
them  in  the  nurture  of  every  needed  grace  and 
virtue. 

And  if  the  pastor  should  ask,  how  can  I  do  more 
than  I  am  already  doing,  it  might  be  suggested 
that  he  give  a  whole  day  to  planning  and  preparing 
for  each  meeting.  Monday  is  generally  considered 
a  "  blue  "  day  with  ministers.  It  would  seem  that 
this  day  might  be  turned  to  good  account  in  many 
ways.  Suppose  he  spend  this  day  in  visiting  his 
people,  and  following  up  a  little  the  impressions 
produced  by  his  Sabbath  ministrations.  He  would 
receive  many  a  stimulating  word  and  suggestion 
that  would  help  him  in  his  work  for  the  next  Sab- 
bath; and  while  the  iron  is  thus  hot,  he  might  make 
some  good  hits  for  the  coming  prayer-meeting,  and 
get  a  limited  number  to  promise  and  come  especially 
prepared  with  reference  to  a  given  topic.  As  he 
visits  from  house  to  house  there  will  arise  special 
cases  of  spiritual  need  and  sympathy ;  formulate  such 
cases  as  these  and  make  each  one  the  topic  for  special 


30  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayer.  Ask  some  one  to  come  and  pray  for  one 
who  may  be  sick;  another  one  to  pray  for  one 
peculiarly  tempted;  another  to  pray  for  himself  that 
he  may  receive  grace  and  strength  to  labor  for  the 
salvation  of  some  friend  with  whom  he  may  have 
especial  influence.  In  this  way  not  only  particular 
cases  of  need  in  a  congregation  will  be  prayed  for, 
and  doubtless  with  the  most  beneficial  results;  but 
also  new  topics  for  special  prayer  will  constantly 
arise  to  keep  pace  with  the  steady  and  healthy 
growth  in  grace  of  the  whole  church,  and  enlarge 
the  sphere  of  its  influence  and  usefulness. 

Finally,  let  each  one  that  the  pastor  asks  to  take 
a  part  come  early  to  the  meeting,  and  as  soon  as  he 
gets  a  chance,  after  the  introductory  services,  arise 
and  pray,  or  offer  remarks.  In  this  way  there  will 
be  a  rapid  movement  in  the  meeting  like  the  tramp 
of  an  army  on  the  march,  and  with  something  of  the 
rapid  scenes  which  characterizes  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Mark  who  takes  us  from  "  the  beginning  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ "  on  until  "  the  Lord  was 
received  up  into  heaven,"  in  sixteen  chapters.  Upon 
such  a  church  as  this, — a  church  realizing  that  it  is 
"not  by.  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit," 
and  earnestly  seeking  to  know  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit — God  will  pour,  according  to  His  promise, 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  3! 

a  burden  of  prayer,  and  guide  it  into  such  a  path  of 
success  as  shall  keep  it  in  constant  revival. 

Now  it  may  be  that  prayer-meetings  are  not 
more  largely  attended  and  more  generally  successful 
because  both  pastor  and  people  allow  them  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  with  the  feeling  that  the  odds 
and  ends  of  thought — the  apple-parings  and  peach 
stones — gathered  from  second-hand  experience  will 
be  good  enough  for  the  week-day  meeting.  Life, 
experience,  and  the  best  thoughts  from  the  history 
which  each  one  is  writing  of  himself  is  what  we 
want  for  the  prayer-meeting,  and  such  songs  as  shall 
express  our  faith,  love  and  aspiration.  If  this  field  is 
to  hear  a  large  harvest,  it  must  be  faithfully  worked. 
He  who  spends  the  most  time  in  the  cultivation  of 
his  farm,  who  uses  the  best  seed  with  a  liberal  sowing 
is  the  one  that  secures  the  best  harvest  and  the 
largest  income.  Weeds  are  about  the  only  things 
that  need  no  cultivation. 

Nor  should  this  chapter  be  closed  without  pre- 
senting the  need  of  continuous  preparation  on  the 
part  of  all.  The  people  should  be  diligent  and 
life-long  students  of  the  Bible  that  they  may  be 
accumulating  a  treasury  from  which,  like  the  prudent 
housekeeper,  to  "bring  forth  things  both  new  and 
old."  They  ought  to  be  constant  in  the  use  of  secret 


32  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayer,  and  all  the  stated  means  of  grace  which  God 
has  provided  for  the  support  and  growth  of 
spiritual  life.  ^  When  thou  wast  under  the  fig  tree 
I  saw  thee."  They  ought  likewise  to  endeavor  every 
day  to  lead  a  consistent  and  victorious  Christian  life. 
This  will  give  depth  and  flavor  to  their  experience, 
and  make  prayer  and  praise  the  joyful  expression  of 
their  daily  life. 

And  when  you  go  to  the  prayer-meeting  go  to  it 
from  your  knees  with  the  earnest  petition  that  God 
will  hear  and  answer.  "  Be  filled  with  the  Spirit." 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  DAILY  CULTIVATION  OF  PIETY. 

There  are  some  who  seem  to  hate  religion.  They 
will  not  enter  the  Kingdom  themselves,  nor  permit 
others  to  enter  it,  if  they  can  prevent  it  by  their 
words  and  opposition.  There  are  some  who  seem 
indifferent  about  religion.  It  does  not  matter  to 
them,  one  way  or  another,  whether  Christianity  is 
true  or  false.  Life  in  the  present  is  so  busy  and  so 
full  of  cares  that  if  they  can  only  make  a  living 
now,  they  will  let  the  life  in  the  hereafter  take  care 
of  itself.  They  will  run  their  chances.  There  are 
£ome  who  have  a  great  respect  for  religion.  They 
give  liberally  to  the  support  of  the  Gospel.  If  their 
children  are  converted  and  unite  with  the  church, 
they  are  glad.  They  know  their  children  will  grow 
up  to  be  better  men  and  women  if  the}'  become 
religious.  Such  are  like  "  Noah's  carpenters," — they 
help  to  build  the  ark,  but  neglect  to  enter  it  them- 
selves. Some  are  willing  that  their  wives  shall  be 
religious,  but  their  own  case  is  such  they  cannot 


34  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

attend  to  religion  just  now.  They  are  in  pursuit  of 
wealth,  or  pleasure,  or  ambition.  If  they  should 
become  religious,  it  would  require  a  change  in  their 
business;  or  if  not  that,  at  least  a  change  in  the 
manner  of  conducting  it.  For  the  present,  you  must 
have  them  excused.  When  they  have  a  convenient 
season  they  will  send  for  you. 

There  are  others  who  profess  religion,  but  do  not 
prosecute  it  with  any  zeal.  Their  religion  is  for 
Sunday.  They  attend  church  regularly,  but  when 
the  doors  of  the  church  are  closed,  their  hearts  are 
closed  also,  and  during  the  week  they  give  themselves 
up  to  the  worldly  spirit.  There  are  others  who  add 
company  religion  to  this  Sunday  religion.  Such  are 
not  anxious  to  entertain  ministers  or  earnest  Chris- 
tians at  their  homes  during  the  holding  of  religious 
meetings  and  conventions;  because  this  requires  of 
them  that  they  should  have  family  worship  morning^ 
and  evening.  But  they  are  hospitable,  and  so,  for  the 
time  being,  they  dust  their  Bibles,  oil  their  knees,  and 
kindle  a  fire  upon  the  family  altar.  And  there  are 
others,  also,  whose  religion  is  a  proxy  religion.  They 
are  reverential;  they  daily  bend  the  knees  at  family 
worship,  and  are  constant  in  attendance  upon  all  the 
ordinances  of  God's  house;  but  they  never  pray 
themselves.  Others  do  the  praying  for  them  in  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  35 

family,  in  the  prayer-meeting,  and  in  the  church. 
They  may  silently  or  audibly  say  "  Amen,"  but 
as  for  themselves,  they  neither  pray  in  public,  in 
private,  nor  in  secret.  They  are  prayerless  Christians. 

Why  is  it  that  religion  is  not  relished  more  than 
appears  to  be  the  case?  Why,  in  so  many  cases,  is  it 
that  Christian  life  is  so  feeble?  Is  it  because  religion 
has  come  to  be  merely  professional  ?  Let  a  physician 
be  called,  and  though  he  be  ever  so  kind  and  gentle, 
yet  he  is  apt  from  long  practice  to  look  at  the  patient 
and  his  disease  from  a  professional  standpoint,  rather 
than  enter  fully  into  sympathy  with  him  as  a  man 
and  a  brother. 

During  the  late  civil  war  it  became  my  oppor- 
tunity, as  a  member  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  to 
attend  upon  some  wounded  soldiers,  as  they  were 
being  taken  by  steamboat  from  White  House  Land- 
ing, Va.,  to  Washington.  There  were  some  fifteen 
of  us  to  take  care  of  405  men.  Two  surgeons  of  the 
regular  army  accompanied  us.  I  became  greatly  in- 
terested in  the  case  of  a  poor  fellow  whose  wound 
was  in  a  bad  condition,  and  needed  skillful  and 
instant  attention.  I  endeavored  to  get  one  of  the 
doctors  to  do  something  for  him.  He  came,  and 
after  making  some  experiments  to  ascertain  the  extent 
of  the  injury,  he  stated  that  he  could  not  do  anything 


36  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

for  him,  as  he  was  in  need  of  a  particular  instrument. 
You  must  wait  till  you  get  to  Washington.  Now 
there  was  something  in  the  manner  so  heartless  and 
indifferent  that  I  was  astonished.  For  myself,  I  could 
get  no  sleep  during  those  sixty  hours  that  we  were  on 
that  boat.  We  who  had  volunteered  to  take  care  of 
those  men,  felt  their  sufferings  to  be  a  terrible  strain 
upon  our  nervous  system.  We  were  unused  to  such 
sights  and  sufferings,  and  the  amount  of  sympathy 
called  for  was  almost  more  than  we  could  endure. 

Now,  it  may  be  that  something  like  this  takes  place 
in  our  religious  experience.  After  a  while  we  lose  its 
early  fervor.  Our  religion  ceases  to  be  new,  fresh, 
emotional  and  inspirational;  it  becomes  professional. 
I  remember  during  a  revival  at  college  when  I  first 
began  to  feel  the  new  life  in  its  preciousness — in  its 
fullness  of  promise,  hope  and  inheritance — how  near 
the  Saviour  seemed  to  be.  As  I  was  going  to  my 
room  after  one  of  the  evening  meetings,  everything 
appeared  to  be  new.  "  Old  things  are  passed  away ; 
behold  all  things  are  become  new."  It  was  a  lovely 
evening.  I  looked  up  into  the  sky,  and  the  stars 
were  twinkling  with  a  friendly  lustre  I  had  never 
noticed  before.  The  thought  that  all  these  things  are 
mine,  because  I  am  His,  took  possession  of  my  soul. 
"  All  are  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  37 

God's."  If  the  child  of  nature  in  a  moment  of 
enthusiasm  can  say,  as  he  looks  up  at  the  sun,  its 
rays  glittering  from  the  leaves  of  the  over-arching 
trees  in  the  grove,  "  This  is  my  air,  my  sunshine,  my 
earth ; "  how  much  more  truly  may  not  the  child  of 
God,  as  he  beholds  the  works  of  his  Father's  hand> 
exclaim,  "  My  air,  my  stars,  my  earth!  " 

Now,  how  can  we  return  to  a  state  like  this  of  ten- 
der susceptibility,  if  we  have  lost  it?  I  can  never 
forget  how  deeply  I  was  impressed,  during  my  school 
days,  by  the  example  of  a  devout  Christian,  whose 
heart  seemed  so  full  of  love,  that  he  never  could  men- 
tion the  name  of  the  Saviour  without  a  tear  starting 
from  his  eyes  and  his  lips  quivering  with  emotion. 
How  can  we  live  so  as  to  enjoy  religion  every  hour 
of  the  day?  Can  the  answer  be  otherwise  than  by 
the  daily  and  careful  cultivation  of  piety?  Set  apart 
half  an  hour  every  day  for  secret  prayer  and  the 
devotional  study  of  God's  Word.  I  should  like  to 
ask  for  an  entire  hour;  but  I  ask  for  half  an  hour  in 
the  hope  that  when  that  much  has  been  given,  the 
season  will  be  so  fully  relished  and  found  so  precious 
that  a  full  hour  will  be  gladly  taken.  Such  daily 
habit  will  prevent  the  religious  life  from  becoming 
"  stale,  flat,  unprofitable  "  and  professional  merely. 

Seek  to  be  alone  at  such  a  time  ;    "  When  thou 


38  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou  hast 
shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father,  which  is  in 
secret;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall 
reward  thee  openly."  And  let  it  be  the  first  half- 
hour  in  the  day;  for  "the  morning  hour  has  gold  in 
its  mouth."  Let  the  first  half  hour  of  the  day  "  be- 
fore food,  before  family,  before  daily  avocation,  be 
made  sacred  to  the  Lord." 

God  has  given  us  three  most  valuable  gifts — His 
Word,  His  Son  and  His  Spirit.  We  need  to  study 
the  Word,  because  the  Holy  Spirit  uses  that  as  an 
instrument  to  communicate  God's  Will,  to  convince 
and  convert,  and  to  edify  and  sanctify  our  "  whole 
spirit,  soul  and  body."  The  Holy  Spirit  glorifies 
Christ  in  the  Word.  We  need  to  study  it  therefore 
and  to  pray  over  it.  God  is  the  object  of  our  wor- 
ship, Christ  is  the  basis  of  our  worship,  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  the  agency  of  our  worship  —  our  Guide, 
Teacher  and  Comforter— and  the  Word  is  the  Instru- 
ment. And  so  the  Word  of  God  will  furnish  holy 
themes  for  the  "secret  hour."  Like  fuel  cast  upon 
fire,  these  will  feed  the  flame  of  devotion,  and  cause  it 
to  glow  with  a  steady  light. 

And  now  the  practice  of  spending  such  a  season — 
the  first  moments  of  the  day — in  secret  prayer  and 
communion  with  God,  has  been  a  habit  with  many 
eminent  men  and  devoted  Christians. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  39 

"It  is  said  of  one  of  our  most  eminent  statesmen, 
at  a  time  when  most  responsible  duties  to  the  country 
rested  on  him,  that  his  morning  hour  was  always 
spent  in  imploring  the  help  of  the  Great  Ruler  of  the 
Nations.  A  distinguished  judge  acknowledged  his 
success  in  his  profession  as  owing  to  the  hour  he  daily 
spent  with  God.  General  Havelock,  though  bur- 
dened with  the  care  of  the  army  during  the  terrible 
mutiny  in  India,  managed  to  keep  sacred  for  prayer  a 
long  time  in  the  morning  of  each  day.  Other  names 
might  be  added,  as  those  of  Bacon,  and  the  great 
astronomer  Kepler,  and  the  historian  De  Thou,  of 
whom  it  is  related,  every  morning,  he  implored  God 
in  private  to  purify  his  heart,  to  banish  from  it  hatred 
and  flattery,  to  enlighten  his  mind,  and  to  make 
known  to  him  the  truth  which  so  many  passions  and 
conflicting  intei'ests  had  almost  buried.  This  was  also 
the  custom  of  one,  guided  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  for 
David's  resolution  was:  '  My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in 
the  morning,  O  Lord;  in  the  morning  will  I  direct 
my  prayer  unto  thee,  and  will  look  up.'  The  testi- 
mony of  that  most  godly  man,  Philip  Henry,  speak- 
ing of  one  of  his  studying  days,  was :  '  I  forgot,  when 
I  began,  explicitly  and  expressly  to  crave  help  from 
God,  and  the  chariot-wheels  drove  accordingly.  Lord 
forgive  my  omission,  and  keep  me  in  the  way  of  duty!* 


4O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

What  higher  example  and  encouragement  could  we 
have  for  this  practice  ?  " — Dr.  Murphy. 

And  there  are  those  who  do  not  find  the  morning 
season  sufficient  for  the  daily  wants  of  the  spiritual 
life,  after  such  a  practice  has  once  become  fixed.  In 
the  Methodist  Church  Block  in  Chicago,  before  the 
great  fire,  "  there  was  a  certain  dark  closet  under  a 
stairway,  used  for  the  storage  of  wood  and  coal,'* 
which,  as  every  other  nook  and  corner  of  the  build- 
ing was  occupied,  Moody  and  his  earnest  co-laborers 
used  as  a  closet  for  secret  prayer.  There,  alone  or  in 
company,  these  devout  Christians  used  to  shut  them- 
selves up,  and  while  the  great  business  world  rolled 
around  them,  above  and  below,  like  the  sea  around 
Jonah,  they  held  sweet  communinon  with  their 
Lord.  Rev.  Chas.  G.  Finney  states  in  his  Auto- 
biography, that  he  discovered  while  a  guest  in  the 
house  of  Anson  G.  Phelps,  that  this  distinguished 
merchant  of  New  York  was  in  the  habit  of  arising, 
after  having  taken  a  nap,  to  secretly  hold  commu- 
nion with  his  God.  "  Seven  times  a  day  do  I  praise 
thee,"  says  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel.  Three  times 
a  day  did  Daniel  kneel  in  his  chamber  with  his  "  win- 
dows open  toward  Jerusalem."  Sir  Thomas  Browne 
wrote  in  his  journal  as  an  admonition  to  himself,  "  to 
be  sure  to  let  no  day  pass  without  calling  upon  God 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  4! 

in  a  solemn-formed  prayer  seven  times  within  the 
compass  thereof:  that  is,  in  the  morning  and  at  night 
and  five  times  between." 

Be  sure  to  begin  the  day  aright,  and  from  such 
daily  cultivation  of  piety  and  the  devotional  spirit, 
shall  come  the  best  preparation  for  all  the  active 
duties  of  life.  By  such  a  habit  the  heart  will  be  kept 
in  tune  for  every  religious  duty,  and  from  its  practice 
will  grow  such  a  relish  for  the  services  of  the  prayer- 
meeting  as  shall  make  the  more  special  preparation 
for  its  exercises  a  joy,  and  not  a  vexatious  burden. 

' '  More  holiness  give  me, 

More  strivings  within ; 
More  patience  in  suff'ring, 

More  sorrow  for  sin ; 
More  faith  in  my  Saviour. 

More  sense  of  his  care  I 
More  joy  in  his  service, 

More  purpose  in  prayer.' ' 


CHAPTER    V. 
THE  TOPICS. 

But  in  addition  to  all  this,  it  will  be  well  to  have  a 
topic  for  each  meeting,  with  reference  to  which  the 
people  as  well  as  the  pastor  may  make  especial  pre- 
paration. It  should  be  our  endeavor  to  make  each 
meeting  new,  fresh  and  stimulating;  both  helpful  and 
hopeful.  Prayer-meetings  have  come  to  be  so  pro- 
verbially stale  and  unprofitable,  because  the  excellent 
brethren  who  take  part  week  in  and  year  out  repeat 
over  and  over  the  same  remarks  and  the  same  prayers. 
The  daily  cultivation  of  piety  will  give  depth  and 
flavor  to  prayer  and  'the  religious  life;  and  a  given 
topic  previously  announced  will  afford  the  people  an 
opportunity  to  arrange  their  thoughts  with  reference 
to  it,  and  to  select  such  things  from  their  experience 
as  shall  illustrate  the  topic  in  an  interesting  manner 
and  on  the  principle  of  unity.  When  the  people 
assemble  in  ignorance  of  the  subject  and  the  line  of 
thought  to  be  presented,  it  is  not  to  be  looked  for  that 
all  parts  shall  fit  into  their  place,  and  tend  to  produce 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  43 

a  deep  and  abiding  impression ;  or,  indeed,  that  they 
shall  speak  at  all  to  edification  and  to  the  point.  Lord 
Nelson  had  a  carefully  prepared  plan  for  the  battle  of 
Trafalgar,  in  which  each  ship  had  its  place  assigned 
in  the  line  of  action,  and  all  together  were  so  massed 
that  they  should  form  a  wedge,  and  sweep  right 
through  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  As  he  planned,  so 
it  proved.  The  victory  was  decisive,  and  placed  him 
in  the  front  rank  of  great  naval  heroes.  When  the 
exercises  are  so  arranged  that  they  have  plan  and 
unity;  when  the  chapter  read,  the  hymns  sung,  the 
remarks  made,  and  the  prayers  offered  are  so  directed 
that  they  illustrate  the  given  topic,  and  the  special 
needs  of  the  church,  each  part  will  take  its  place  in 
the  line  to  form  the  wedge,  and  no  one  will  be  able  to 
go  away  and  say  the  meeting  lacked  purpose,  point 
and  power. 

Nor  will  it  be  found  an  easy  matter  to  select  just 
the  right  kind  of  topics  for  the  prayer-meeting.  It 
would  not  be  surprising  if  ministers  spent  as  much 
time  over  this  as  over  selecting  the  subject  and  text 
for  their  sermons.  In  order  to  avoid  this  difficulty 
and  the  loss  of  time  many  have  chosen  the  topics  of 
the  Sunday-school  lesson,  and  made  them  the  basis  of 
their  remarks.  Much  might  be  said  in  favor  of  this ; 
it  has  the  advantage  of  system  and  publicity;  and  so 


44  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

gives  opportunity  to  others  beside  the  minister,  to 
make  intelligent  remarks  upon  the  subject.  Speech, 
to  be  most  profitable  needs  to  be  premeditated  as  to 
the  substance  of  thought.  Where  both  words  and 
thought  are  extempore,  unless  the  man  is  inspired  for 
the  occasion,  it  will  be  just  as  well  if  he  kept  silent. 
There  is  one  part,  being  all  unstudied,  that  requires 
no  preparation — "  you  may  do  it  extempore,"  for  it  is 
nothing  but  roaring,  and  though  he  "  aggravate  his 
voice,"  and  roar  as  gently  as  the  dove,  or  "  'twere  any 
nightingale,"  in  the  prayer-meeting,  it  is  out  of  place, 
and  will  hardly  do  any  man's  heart  good  or  tend  to 
edification. 

But  the  Sunday-school  topics  are  selected  more 
with  reference  to  the  wants  of  a  school  than  the  needs 
of  a  prayer-meeting  and  daily  Christian  life.  If  there 
is  a  general  attendance  on  the  prayer-meeting  and  the 
Sunday-school — as  is  desirable — it  takes  away  from 
the  freshness  of  the  theme,  and  the  interest  in  it  also, 
to  have  the  same  topic  presented  twice,  and,  in  con- 
nection with  the  teachers'  meeting,  thrice  in  the  same 
week.  The  topics  more  .especially  needed  for  the 
week-day  meeting  are  such  as  grow  out  of  the  trials 
and  burdens  of  daily  life,  and  should  be  so  adapted  to 
them  as  to  confer  sympathy,  bestow  strength  and 
patience,  and  promote  growth  in  grace.  The  prayer- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  45 

meeting  should  give  scope  for  such  themes  as  are  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  edify  the  body  of  Christ,  to  con- 
firm faith,  to  quicken  love,  to  illustrate  doctrine,  and 
to  stimulate  life  in  its  various  fields  of  useful  labor. 
Hence  the  more  appropriate  themes  are  such  as  make 
plain  our  duty  to  God,  to  self,  and  to  fellow-man. 
The  topics  should  be  selected  with  reference  to  the 
guidance  of  experience  along  "  the  path  of  the  just," 
which  "  is  as  the  shining  light,  that  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day." 

And  topics  might  also  be  selected  occasionally  to 
bear  some  relevancy  to  the  progress  of  time  and  the 
changing  seasons.  Thus,  for  a  New  Year's  week  we 
might  have  a  dedication  service,  on  some  such  theme 
as  this,  "  Choose  ye  this  day  whom  ye  will  serve,"  or 
"  Mary's  Choice,"  Luke  10:  38-42.  For  a  Spring  ser- 
vice we  might  choose  a  topic  like  this,  "  Seed  Time," 
Gal.  6 :  7 ;  or  we  might  arrange  for  a  "  Floral  Ser- 
vice," just  as  Spring  is  passing  into  Summer,  and  is 
now  standing  in  its  pride  and  glory — "  Consider  the 
lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow,"  Matt.  6:28.  "A 
study  on  flowers"  of  this  kind  would  teach  valuable 
lessons  as  well  as  give  suitable  opportunity  to  pray 
for  a  blessing  upon  the  sowing  of  the  seed  and 
the  increase  of  the  material  harvest  in  its  season.  A 
promise  meeting  might  be  arranged  for  some  time 


46  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

during  the  progress  of  Summer,  and  opportunity 
given  for  rehearsing  the  promises  of  God  and  their 
unfailing  fulfilment  in  our  experience.  "  A  harvest 
festival  "  would  be  appropriate  for  the  Autumn  and 
the  ingathering  of  grain  and  fruit.  These  would  find 
their  counterpart  in  the  garniture  of  life's  spiritual  har- 
vest, 2  Cor.  9 :  6,  and  Gal.  6 :  8.  Themes  kindred 
to  this  would  be,  "  The  Summer  is  ended,"  "  Fruits 
meet  for  repentance,"  "  The  fruit  of  the  Holy  Spirit," 
or  "  The  fruit  of  the  lips."  And  on  Thanksgiving 
week  it  would  be  very  appropriate  to  have  a  general 
praise  meeting,  in  which  the  people  may  express  what 
they  have  to  be  thankful  for;  and  such  a  meeting  on 
their  part  would  prove  a  most  excellent  preparation 
for  the  public  observance  of  the  Day  of  Thanksgiv- 
ing. And  for  the  close  of  the  year  we  might  have  a 
remembrance  meeting,  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord 
helped  us,"  i  Sam.  7:  12.  It  would  be  very  profitable 
to  review  the  signal  providences  of  the  year, 
and  apply  the  teachings  of  age  to  renewed  fidelity; 
for  time  is  short  and  its  flight  rapid.  Would  not 
such  a  meeting  as  this  deepen  our  appreciation  of  the 
poth  psalm,  and  especially  that  devout  petition,  "  So 
teach  us  to  remember  our  days  that  we  may  apply 
our  hearts  unto  wisdom !  "  Topic  would  suggest 
topic  as  the  seasons  come  and  go,  and  in  this  way  we 
could  appropriately  arrange  for  evenings  in  which  to 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  47 

illustrate  the  various  teachings  of  nature  as  they  bear 
upon  life.  We  should  find  occasions  in  this  way  to 
use  the  great  phenomena  of  nature,  and  use  them  as 
the  Bible  uses  them,  to  illustrate  life  and  its  meanings. 
In  this  way  mountain,  river,  sea,  storm,  wind,  rain, 
dew,  ice  and  snow  could  be  used  for  the  topics  at  such 
times  as  would  render  them  appropriate,  but  not  so 
frequently  as  to  destroy  freshness  and  render  their 
teachings  "  stale  and  unprofitable." 

And  this  matter  of  set  topics  has  already  had  the 
trial  of  years  and  has  been  found  most  expedient  by 
those  churches  which  have  used  them.  There  is  be- 
fore me  among  others  the  list  that  was  used  by  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  dur- 
ing the  last  year  of  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  J.  L.  Withrow. 
We  insert  it  at  the  close  of  this  chapter,  both  to  com- 
mend the  method  and  to  show  the  nature  of  the 
topics,  that  in  this  way  our  hints  may  have  the 
benefit  of  example  as  well  as  precept. 

TOPICS. 

Jan.  6.  Daily  Benefits,  ....  Psalms  68 :  19 

13.  Suffering  due  to  Sin,  ....  John  5:  5 

20.  Refusing  and  the  Results,  .  .  .  John  5  :  40 

27.  Bom  Again, John  3 : 3 

Feb.  3.  Evidences  of  Sonship,  .  .  Rom.  8  : 14 

10.  Resist  the  Devil,  ....  James  4 :  7 

17.  Meaning  of Col.  2:  10 

24.  Retribution, Rom.  2 :  6 

Mar.  2.  Sparing  Begets  Sparseness,     .         .         .2  Cor.  9 :  6 


48 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


Mar.  9.  Lying, Col.  3 :  9 

16.  God  Forgetting  Sins,     ....  Heb.  10  :  17 

23.  Christ  in  Providence,         .         .         .  Heb.  1 :  3 

30.  Number  of  the  Blest  Unknown,  Matt.  14 :  14 
April  6.  Inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  .         .     2  Tim.  3 :  16 

13.  Searching  the  Scriptures,      .         .         .     John  5 :  39 

20.  Meaning  of Hab.  2 :  4 

27.  Cleansing  Blood,  ...  i  John  I  :  7 

May  4.  The  good  times  of  the  Ungodly,       .     Psalms  73:  5 

11.  Christ,  the  Leader,       .         .         .         .         Is.  55  :  4 

18.  The  Intercessor,        ....         Heb.  7  :  25 

25.  Believing  all  the  Bible,         .         .         .     John  5  :  47 
June  i.  Union  of  Faith  and  Everlasting  Life,        John  6:  47 

8.  Faith  Kneeling  at  His  Feet,         .         .  John  n  :  32 

15.  How? 2  Cor.  5:21 

22.  Meaning  of  Repentance,       .         .         .     Acts  2:  38 

29.  Sublimity  of  Unselfishness,      .         .      2  Cor.  12:  15 
July   6.  Genuine  Love,     ....  i  Johns:  18 

13.  The  Sin  Bearer,  i  Peter  2  :  24 

20.  Believing  vs.  Working,         .         .         .        Rom.  4 :  5 

27.  The  Living  Fountain,     .         .         .  Rev.  7 :  17 
Aug.  3.  Evils  of  Indulgence,  .                                 i  Cor.  9:  25 

10.  Refuge  from  Storm,       .         .         .         .        15.25:4 

17.  Friend  of  Friends,  .         .         .      Prov.  18:  24 

24.  Explain Rom.  6 :  I 

31.  Saved  by  Hope,         ....        Rom.  8:24 
Sept.  7.  Putting  on  Christ,         .         .         .  Rom.  13 :  14 

14.  Safety,       .  ...     Psalms  91 :  I 

21.  All-Seeing  Eye,     ....  Prov.  15  :  3 

28.  Full  Satisfaction Psalms  17: 15 

Oct.    5.  In  what  Sense?     ....  Rom.  6:18 

12.  Foolishness  of  Preaching,         .         .       i  Cor.  i:  18 

19.  Better  than  he  Asked,  .         .  2  Cor.  12:  9 

26.  Crowned  with  many  Crowns,  .         Rev.  19:  12 
Nov.  2.  Consulting  Others'  Weakness,     .         .     Rom.  15:  x 

9.  Relation  of  Believers  to  the  Saviour,  Col.  2  :  7 

16.  Right  kind  of  Righteousness,      .         .        Phil.  3  :  9 

23.  Thanksgiving,          ....          Eph.  5  :  20 

30.  Harmonize,           .         .         .         Gal.  6  :  2  with  6:  5 
Dec.  7.  Gracious  Promise, Mai.  4:  2 

14.  The  Unborn  Herald,  .         .         .         Mai.  4 :  5 

21.  The  Star, Matt.  2  :  10 

28.  The  End, Psalms  39:  4 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  TOPICS  ILLUSTRATED. 

It  will  prove  quite  stimulating,  and  an  aid  to  the 
fuller  understanding  of  Scriptural  truth,  to  draw 
from  the  Bible  suitable  illustrations  of  the  changing 
seasons,  and  of  striking  events  in  the  history  of  our 
church,  our  community,  our  state,  or  our  land,  as 
these  are  providentially  unfolded.  A  few  examples 
have  been  selected  as  hints  in  this  direction. 

/.      The  Opening  of  the  Year. 
(Luke  13 :  9). 

In  countries  where  the  vine  is  cultivated,  not  by  a 
few  wealthy  proprietors  with  a  view  to  an  export 
trade,  but  by  each  family  on  a  small  scale,  with  a 
view  to  the  food  of  the  household,  to  plant  some 
trees  of  other  kinds  within  the  same  enclosure  is  the 
rule  rather  than  the  exception.  Within  this  favored 
spot  the  owner  is  willing  to  make  room  for  one  or 
more  fig-trees,  for  the  sake  of  the  fruit,  which  in 
such  favorable  circumstances  he  expects  them  to  bear. 

When  the  tree    had  reached  maturity,  the  owner 


5<D  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

expected  that  it  should  bear  fruit;  but  that  year,  the 
next,  and  the  third  it  continued  barren.  Having 
waited  a  reasonable  time,  he  gave  orders  that  it 
should  be  destroyed. 

The  dresser  of  the  vineyard,  as  is  quite  natural,  has 
become  attached  to  the  tree,  and  when  the  sentence 
is  pronounced  against  it,  a  sentiment  akin  to  compas- 
sion springs  up.  "  Woodman,  spare  that  tree,"  is  a 
species  of  intercession  thoroughly  natural  and  human. 
A  very  significant  exemplification  of  this  parable  is 
found  in  an  Arabian  receipt  for  curing  a  palm-tree  of 
barrenness :  "  Thou  must  take  a  hatchet,  and  go  to 
the  tree  with  a  friend,  unto  whom  thou  sayest,  I  will 
cut  down  the  tree,  for  it  is  unfruitful.  He  answers: 
Do  not  so,  this  year  it  will  certainly  bear.  But  the 
other  says,  It  must  needs  be — it  must  be  hewn  down; 
and  gives  the  stem  of  the  tree  blows  with  the  back 
of  the  hatchet.  His  friend  restrains  him,  crying,  Nay, 
do  it  not,  thou  wilt  certainly  have  fruit  from  it  this 
year;  only  have  patience,  and  be  not  over  hasty  in 
cutting  it  down;  if  it  still  refuses  to  bear  fruit,  then 
cut  it  down." 

The  lesson  of  this  parable  is  easily  read;  and  when 
read,  it  is  unspeakably  solemn  and  tender.  God  is 
the  owner  of  the  vineyard  and  the  fig-tree  within  its 
walls.  Abraham's  seed,  natural  and  mystical,  are  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  5! 

fig-tree;  and  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man  is 
the  dresser  of  the  vineyard,  the  intercessor  for  the 
barren  tree.  The  essential  circumstances  involved 
in  the  fact  that  the  fig-tree  grew  within  the  vine- 
yard are:  that  in  soil,  south  exposure,  care  and 
defence,  it  was  placed  in  the  best  possible  position 
for  bearing  fruit.  The  one  fact  that  it  was  planted 
in  the  vineyard  indicates,  and  was  obviously  intended 
to  indicate,  that  the  owner  had  done  the  best  for  his 
fig-tree. 

The  three  kinds  of  works  whereof  Scripture  speaks 
may  all  be  illustrated  from  this  parable :  First,  good 
works  (John  6  :  28;  Tit.  2:7),  when  the  tree  having 
been  made  good,  bears  fruit  after  its  own  kind ;  then 
dead  works  (Heb.  9:  14;  Gal.  2:  16),  such  as  have  a 
fair  outward  appearance,  but  are  not  the  genuine  out- 
growth of  the  renewed  man — fruit  as  it  were  fastened 
on  externally,  alms  given  that  they  may  be  gloried 
in,  prayers  made  that  they  may  be  seen;  and  lastly, 
wicked  works  (i  John  3:  12;  Rom.  13:  12;  Gal.  5:19), 
when  the  corrupt  tree  bears  fruit  manifestly  after  its 
own  kind.  Here  it  is  those  good  fruits  that  are 
sought,  but  of  which  none  are  found.  And  on  that 
command,  "  Cut  it  down,"  St.  Basil  beautifully  bids 
us  note  the  love  which  breathes,  even  in  the  threaten- 
ings  of  God.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  is  peculiar  to  the 


52  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

clemency  of  God  toward  men,  that  He  does  not  bring 
in  punishments  silently  or  secretly;  but  by  His 
threatenings  first  proclaims  them  to  be  at  hand,  thus 
inviting  sinners  to  repentance."  That  grand  old 
proverb,  which  so  finely  expresses  the  noiseless 
approach  of  the  divine  judgments :  "  The  gods  have 
feet  of  wool,"  true  for  others,  is  not  true  for  those 
who  have  a  listening  ear.  Before  the  hewing  down 
begins,  the  axe  is  laid  at  the  root  of  the  tree. 

Christ,  as  the  great  Intercessor,  pleads  for  men,  yet 
not  that  they  may  always  continue  unpunished  in 
their  sins,  but  only  that  their  sentence  may  for  a 
while  be  suspended;  so  to  prove  whether  they  will 
turn  and  repent.  The  means  of  grace  shall  be  multi- 
plied, which  is  so  often  granted  to  men  and  nations 
in  the  last  period  of  their  probation,  and  just  before 
those  means  are  withdrawn  from  them  forever. 
Thus  before  the  flood  they  had  Noah,  before  the 
great  catastrophes  of  the  Jewish  people  some  of  their 
most  eminent  prophets,  and  before  its  final  doom,  the 
ministry  of  Christ  and  of  His  Apostles.  This  last  is 
intended  here;  that  richer  supply  of  grace,  that  freer 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  which  should  follow  on  the 
death,  resurrection  and  ascension  of  the  Lord.  So 
Theophylact:  "Though  they  were  not  made  better 
by  the  law  and  the  prophets,  nor  yielded  fruit  or 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  53 

repentance,  yet  I  will  water  them  by  my  doctrines 
and  passion;  it  may  be  that  they  will  then  yield  fruits 
of  obedience."  To  us  entering  upon  a  new  year  the 
door  of  repentance  and  improvement  is  left  open 
still :  "  If  it  bear  fruit,  well.  If  not,  how  shall  we 
escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?  " 

— Adapted  from  Arnot  and  Trench. 

II.  Seed-time.  The  Sower,  the  Seed  and  the  Soil. 
(Matt.  13 :  i-io). 

This  parable  represents  the  reception  of  the  Word 
of  God  in  the  world,  and  presents  the  causes  of 
failuie,  and  the  requirements  that  are  necessary  in 
order  to  secure  an  abundant  and  fruitful  harvest. 

The  causes  of  failure  are: 

i.  There  is  a  want  of  spiritual  perception.  Some 
of  the  seed  fell  by  the  wayside.  There  are  persons 
whose  religion  is  all  outside — it  never  penetrates 
beyond  the  intellect.  Duty  is  recognized  in  word — 
not  felt.  They  are  regular  at  church,  understand  the 
catechism  and  articles,  consider  the  church  a  most 
venerable  institution,  have  a  respect  for  religion,  but 
it  never  stirs  the  deeps  of  their  being.  They  feel 
nothing  in  it  beyond  a  safeguard  for  the  decencies 
and  respectabilities  of  social  life.  Truth  of  life  is 
subject  to  failure  in  such  hearts,  because  it  is  trodden 


54  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

down.  Wheat  dropped  by  a  harvest-cart  upon  a 
road,  lies  outside.  There  comes  a  passenger's  foot 
and  crushes  some  of  it;  then  wheels  come  by,— the 
wheel  of  traffic  and  the  wheel  of  pleasure, — crushing 
it  grain  by  grain.  And  again,  the  seed  finding  no 
lodgement,  disappears.  The  fowls  of  the  air  come 
and  devour  it.  This  is  the  picture,  not  of  thought 
crushed  by  degrees,  but  of  thought  dissipated,  and 
no  man  can  tell  when  or  how  it  went. 

2.  There  is  want  of  depth  in  character.  Some 
fell  on  stony  ground,  that  is,  into  a  thin  layer  of  soil 
upon  a  bed  of  rock.  Shallow  soil  is  like  superficial 
character.  You  meet  such  persons  in  life.  There  is 
nothing  deep  about  them  ;  it  is  all  on  the  surface. 
The  superficial  servant's  work  is  done,  but  not 
thoroughly — lazily,  partially. 

The  superficial  workman's  labor  will  not  bear 
inspection.  The  very  dress  of  such  persons  betrays 
the  incomplete  character  of  their  minds.  With  such, 
religion  shares  the  fate  of  everything  else — it  is 
taken  up  in  a  superficial  way.  The  seed  sprang  up 
quickly ;  and  then  withered  away  as  quickly,  because 
it  had  no  depth  of  root.  There  are  easily  moved 
susceptibilities  that  play  upon  the  surface  of  the  soul, 
and  then  as  rapidly  pass  away.  In  such  persons 
words  are  ever  at  command  —  voluble  and  im- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  55 

passioned  words.  Such  a  man  came  to  the  Master, — 
running,  kneeling,  full  of  warm  expressions,  engaging 
gestures,  and  professed  admiration, — he  was  ready 
for  anything.  Well,  go  sell  what  thou  hast.  If  you 
wish  to  know  what  hollowness  and  heartlessness  are, 
you  must  seek  for  them  in  the  world  of  light,  elegant, 
superficial  fashion,  where  frivolity  has  turned  the 
heart  into  a  rock-bed  of  selfishness. 

3.  Impressions  come  to  nothing  when  the  mind  is 
subjected  to  dissipating  influences  and  yields  to  them. 
There  is  nutriment  in  the  ground  for  thorns,  and 
enough  for  wheat ;  but  not  enough  in  any  ground 
for  both  wheat  and  thorns.  The  heart  has  a  certain 
power  of  loving,  but  love,  dissipated  on  many  objects, 
concentrates  itself  on  none.  God  or  the  world,  not 
both.  "  No  man  can  serve  two  masters."  "  If  any 
man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in 
him."  "  The  cares  of  this  world,  and  the  deceitful- 
ness  of  riches,  choke  the  word  !"  There  is  a  way 
God  has  of  dealing  with  such,  which  is  no  pleasant 
thing  to  bear.  In  agriculture  it  is  called  weeding, 
and  in  gardening  it  is  done  by  pruning. 

In  the  second  place,  the  permanence  of  religious 
impressions  requires  three  things  : 

i.  An  honest  and  good  heart  is  indispensable. 
Earnestness  is  necessary  for  real  success  in  everything. 


56  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

The  miser  sacrifices  all  to  his  single  passion  ;  hoards 
the  pennies  and  dies  possessed  of  wealth.  Time  and 
pains  will  do  anything.  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven 
sufFereth  violence,  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force." 
Sow  for  time,  and  probably  you  will  succeed  in  time. 
Sow  the  seed  of  Life, — humbleness,  pure-heartedness, 
love, — and  in  the  long  eternity  which  lies  before  the 
soul,  every  minutest  grain  will  come  up  again  with  an 
increase  of  thirty,  sixty,  or  an  hundred  fold. 

2.  Meditation  is  necessary.     They   keep  the  word 
which  they  have  heard.     In  meditation  on  religious 
truth,  if  it  be  first  loved,  it  will  recur  spontaneously 
to   the   heart.      And    as   it   is  dwelt   on,   it   receives 
innumerable  applications  ;  is  again  and  again  brought 
up   to   the   sun  and  tried  in  various    lights,  and  so 
incorporates    itself   with     the    realities   of   practical 
existence.     Meditation  is  done  in  silence.      By   it  we 
renounce  our  narrow  individuality,  and  expatiate  into 
that  which  is  infinite.     There  is  a  divine   depth   in 
silence — we  meet  God  alone. 

3.  Endurance     likewise    is    necessary.        "  They 
bring  forth  fruit  with  patience."     The  patience  for  us 
to  cultivate  is  to  bear  and  to  persevere.     However 
dark    and    profitless,    however    painful    and    weary 
existence  may  have  become  ;   however  any  man,  like 
Elijah,  may  be  tempted  to  cast  himself  beneath  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  57 

juniper-tree  and  say,  "It  is  enough:  now,  O  Lord  !" 
Life  is  not  done,  and  our  Christian  character  is  not 
won,  so  long  as  God  has  anything  left  for  us  to  suffer, 
or  anything  left  for  us  to  do.  Patience  is  also 
opposed  to  that  restlessness  which  cannot  wait.  This 
is  one  of  the  difficulties  of  spiritual  life.  We  are 
disappointed  if  the  harvest  do  not  come  at  once. 
From  all  this  it  is  evident  that  the  causes  of 
failure  cannot  be  attribute*!  to  the  seed  nor  to  the 
sower,  but  entirely  to  the  soil. 

"  Let  us,  then,  be  up  and  doing, 

With  a  heart  for  any  fate ; 
Still  achieving,  still  pursuing, 
Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait." 

— Selected  and  abridged  from  Robertson. 

Ill,     A  Summer  Service.     77ie  Lesson  of  Flowers. 

(Matt.  6  :  28). 

We  are  now  almost  midway  in  the  season  of 
flowers,  between  the  coming  of  the  early  violet  and 
the  late  chrysanthemum,  and  are  witnessing  them  in 
their  various  phases  of  bloom,  beauty,  glory,  and  rapid 
decay.  Material  things  are  the  visible  and  transient 
forms  into  which  ideas  have  been  cast,  and  a  flower 
forms  one  of  the  many  words  which  God  uses  in  the 
language  of  symbolism  for  lessons  of  truth  and 


58  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

wisdom.  We  are  too  apt  to  think  that  the  material 
things  of  earth  alone  have  permanence  and  reality, 
and  serve  as  the  patterns  of  all  thinking  and  experi- 
ence, but  this  is  the  error  of  materialism.  The  truth 
is  on  the  other  side.  The  pattern  of  things  is  unseen 
and  eternal.  Thoughts  are  not  the  fleeting  shadows 
which  matter  casts  ;  but  more  correctly  matter  in  its 
various  forms  is  their  shadow  (2  Cor.  4:  18;  Col. 
2:17;  Heb.  8:  5;  and  9:  23).  What,  then,  are  some 
of  the  lessons  which  flowers  teach? 

i.  From  time  immemorial  the  gift  of  a  flower  has 
conveyed  the  language  of  esteem  and  friendship,  and 
in  their  use  on  Decoration  Day  they  have  come  to  be 
emblematical  of  the  affection  entertained  for  those 
who  gave  their  lives  to  the  service  of  their  country. 
Flowers  form  the  symbolism  of  love  and  beauty, 
as  appears  from  such  popular  names  as  "  forget-me- 
not,"  "  love-lies-bleeding,"  etc.  And  in  a  sick  room 
they  are  there  with  their  fragrance  and  beauty  to 
remind  the  sick  of  the  love  we  cherish  for  them,  and 
silently  to  preach  of  a  beauty  that  fades  not  like  their 
own — immortal  in  the  skies. 

z.  Their  color,  beauty  and  fragrance  command 
attention  and  are  unrivalled.  Christ  called  himself 
"  The  Rose  of  Sharon  and  the  Lily  of  the  Vallies." 
(Cant.  2:1).  The  flowers  of  the  field  were  intro- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  59 

duced  into  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  illustrate  a 
variety  of  truths.  Consider:  Solomon  in  all  his  glory 
was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these. 

3.  Their  perfectibility.       The   breath    of  sin,    the 
blast   of  winter  and   the  mildew  of  death  fell     upon 
them  when  they  were   plucked   out   of  Paradise  and 
scattered   over  the  earth.     That  they  suffered    deteri- 
oration is  evident  from  the  fact  that  kindly  culture  has 
so  greatly  improved  their  bloom  and  multiplied  their 
variety.     Flowers   come  to  us  from  the  paradise  that 
is  past  to  tell  us  of  a  lost  and  faded  beauty,  and  to 
prophesy  of  a  greater  and  grander  beauty  that  shall 
not,    like  their  own,  so   soon   pass   away.     Music  is 
another  language  of  sentiment  and   emotion,   which 
seems  to  have  come  down   to  us  from  the    paradise 
above — a  wave  of  melody  that  has  burst  through  the 
gates   of  heaven   and   overflowed  its  walls,  that    our 
souls  might   be   thrilled   with   the   harmonies   of   the 
endless   life  and  the   heavenly  bliss,  where   God    is 
praised  with  unsinning   hearts.     Flowers  and    music 
tell   us   of  the  "  Paradise   Lost "   and   the  "  Paradise 
Regained,"  and  prophesy  of  the  beauty  and  harmony 
that  shall  yet  prove  unending. 

4.  We  are  also  to  learn  from  flowers  the  shortness 
of  life    and    the    corruptibility    of  all    earthly    glory. 
Walk  through  the  field  in  its  beauty  and  fragrance  of 


60  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

grass  and  flower.  The  glory  of  spring  soon  passes 
into  summer  and  fades  away  into  the  tints  of  autumn; 
or  wither  and  die  under  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun 
and  the  fiery  blast,  and  it  is  all  gone.  David  as  he 
tended  his  father's  flocks  had  been  impressed  by  it, 
and  when  he  wrote  the  iO3d  Psalm  he  remembered 
it  and  said,  the  life  of  man  is  just  like  this.  Like  the 
grass  and  flowers  of  the  field,  so  he  flourishes  and  so 
he  departs.  (Ps.  103  :  15,  16;  also,  Is.  40:  6-8,  and  i 
Peter  i  :  24). 

5.  The  rose  is  a  sign  of  fertility.     (Is.  35  :  i). 

6.  Flowers  preach    a  most   impressive   sermon    on 
Providence. 

What  a  world  of  thought  and  care 
Makes  the  tiny  flower  fair  ! 

Destined  to  bloom  for  a  day ;  if  God  is  so  lavish  here, 
how  much  more  shall  not  His  love  and  care  extend 
to  His  creatures  who  have  sentient  life  and  are  capa- 
ble of  loving  Him.  (Matt.  6  :  28-34).  What  a  lesson 
is  here  for  the  man  that  is  fearful  and  desponding — 
that  is  lacking  in  faith  and  hope.  He  ought  to  read 
this  lesson  every  day.  God  will  not  and  does  not 
forget.  If  He  take  care  of  birds  and  flowers,  how 
much  more  will  his  thoughts  extend  to  you,  O  ye  of 
little  faith! 

7.  But  life  in  its  unfoldings  here  is    so    short — why 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  6l 

should  we  grieve  if  we  are  subject  to  its  harsh  muta- 
tions. There  is  nothing  that  more  keenly  tries  char- 
acter than  the  sudden  gain  or  loss  of  wealth.  By 
that  the  poor  man's  head  is  oft  made  giddy;  by  'this 
the  rich  man's  heart  is  crushed,  and  his  hope  and  am- 
bition fly  away  with  his  riches.  But  why  should  it 
be  so  ?  Life  is  like  the  flower  of  the  grass ;  mutation 
is  its  order.  And  besides  we  are  tried  thus  sorely,  in 
order  that  character — the  perpetual  and  enduring 
fruit  of  the  flower —  may  become  firm  and  noble,  and 
may  not  be  unhinged  by  these  severe  blasts  that 
sweep  over  it.  Prosperity  like  adversity  soon  passes 
away,  and  these  distinctions  perish  in  the  tomb. 
But  what  if  he  should  miss  the  crown  of  life? 
"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation :  for 
when  he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of  life, 
which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love 
him."  (Jas.  1:8-12.) 

— By  the  writer,  from  the  INTERIOR, 

IV.   A  Topic  for  Autumn. 
"  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf."     (IsA.   64 :  6.) 
In  the  late  autumn  days,  the  saddest  of  the   year, 
Nature  is  preaching   to    us  a  solemn   sermon    from 
the  most  solemn   of  all  texts.     This   lesson   is  whis- 
pered by  every  bleak  wind  that  moans  through  the 


62  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

waning  wood;  it  is  proclaimed  in  melancholy  mur- 
murs by  every  stream  that  wanders  through  the 
valley,  choked  with  the  relics  of  former  beauty  and 
luxuriance;  it  is  painted  in  brown  and  sombre  hues 
on  every  part  of  the  landscape.  The  burden  of  every 
sound  we  hear,  the  moral  of  every  sight  we  see,  is 
the  old,  old  truth,  which  finds  a  ready  response  in 
every  human  bosom,  "  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf." 

Leaves  are  beautiful  objects — rich  in  color,  graceful 
in  shape,  simple  in  structure — they  are  among  the 
most  exquisite  productions  of  Nature's  loom. 

i.  Leaves  fade  gradually.  The  whole  foliage  of  a 
tree  does  not  fade  and  pass  away  at  once.  Some 
leaves  droop  and  wither  even  in  Spring,  when  the 
rest  of  the  foliage  is  in  its  brightest  and  most  luxuri- 
ant beauty.  Some  are  torn  away  in  summer,  while 
green  and  full  of  sap,  by  sudden  and  violent  storms. 
The  great  majority  fade  and  fall  in  autumn;  while  a 
few  cling  to  the  branches  all  through  the  cold  and 
desolation  of  winter,  and  are  at  last  pushed  off  by  the 
unfolding  buds  of  the  following  spring.  And  is  it 
not  so  with  every  human  generation?  Generation 
after  generation  will  come  and  go;  tree  after  tree  will 
fall  and  perish;  forest  after  forest  will  disappear;  and 
thus  it  will  continue  until  the  cycle  of  man's  existence 
on  earth  be  complete,  and  the  angel  shall  come,  and 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  63 

swear  that  Time  shall  be  no   longer,  and  death  itself 
shall  die. 

2.  Leaves  fade  silently.     As  He  veiled  His  won- 
drous working  for  the  Israelites  at  the  Red  Sea  with 
the  cloud  of  night,  and   the  dawn  only  revealed  the 
complete  miracle,  so  in  the  field  of  nature,  He  reveals 
to   us   not   processes,  but  results.     One  by   one   the 
leaves  become  discolored  and  drop  off;  but  we  cannot 
trace   the   insidious    progress   of  the   blight    from   its 
commencement   to   its   consummation,  and   the   first 
notice  we  have  of  the  change  is  the  hectic  hue  upon 
their  surface.     Who  is  to  be  the  first  to  receive  the 
message   to  pass    hence — we    know    not;    an  awful 
uncertainty   rests  upon  that.     The  veil   that  hides  it 
from  our  view  is  woven  by  the  hand  of  mercy.     But 
certain  it  is  that  some  must  go   first.     The  process  of 
decay  has  begun  in  some  already. 

"  Leaves  have  their  time  to  fall ; 

And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  north  wind's  breath: 
But  thou  all  seasons — all ; 

Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  O  death ! 
We  know  when  moons  shall  wane, 

When  summer  birds  from  far  shall  cross  the  sea, 
When  autumn  leives  shall  tinge  the  golden  grain: 

But  who  shall  teach  us  when  to  look  for  theeT" 

3.  Leaves  fade  differently.     The  autumnal  foliage 
is  very  varied.     They  all  presented  a  uniform  green- 


64  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

ness  in  summer;  but  decay  brings  out  their  individual 
character,  and  shows  each  of  them  in  its  true  colors. 
When  death  conies,  the  true  character  of  each  person 
is  made  apparent.  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord 
is  the  death  of  His  saints;  precious  and  also  beautiful. 
"  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my 
last  end  be  like  his." 

4.  Leaves  fade  characteristically.     The  foliage  that 
is  gloomiest    in  its  unfolding  is  most  unsightly  in  its 
decay;  and  the  leaves  that  have  the  richest  and  ten- 
derest  shade  of  green  in  April,  have  the  most  brilliant 
rainbow  hues  in   October.     And  so  it  is  with  man: 
he   dies  as   he    lives.     A  life  of  godliness  ends  in  a 
saintly  death;  and  a  career  of  worldliness  and  sin  ter- 
minates in  impenitence  and  despair.     The  law  of  life 
is,  that  the  fruit  shall  be  as  the  seed,  and  the  end  as 
the   beginning:    unless,   indeed,   the    higher   law    of 
divine  mercy  interposes  on  a  timely  repentance.     And 
as  the  fading   itself  is  characteristic,  so  also  are  the 
results. 

5.  Leaves  fade  prepai'edly.     No  leaf  falls  from  the 
tree — unless  wrenched  off  suddenly  and  unexpectedly 
in  early  growth  by  external  violence — without  mak- 
ing  due  preparation    for   its   departure.      Go  to   the 
forest  or  the  field,  and  examine   every  tree  or  flower 
in  this  sad  season  of  decay,  and  you  will  find  to  your 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  65 

surprise  and  delight  that  "  there  is  as  much  of  life  as  of 
death  in  autumn  " — that  the  elements  of  future  resus- 
citation and  growth  are  provided  for,  amid  tokens  of 
universal  decadence  and  corruption.  Already  "another 
year  is  hidden  along  the  bough."  As  surely  as  the 
leaf  fades  so  shall  we  fade.  We  may  imagine  it  dis- 
tant. A  thousand  unforeseen  foes,  fatal  to  life,  line 
our  path  on  either  side,  and  we  have  to  run  the 
gauntlet  daily  between  them.  We  began  to  die  the 
moment  we  began  to  live.  Our  very  life  itself  is 
nothing  else  but  a  succession  of  dying;  and  every 
day  and  every  hour,  in  the  changes  within  and  with- 
out which  we  experience,  wears  away  a  part  of  it. 
Should  we  not  then  so  count  our  days  that  we  may 
apply  our  hearts  to  heavenly  wisdom? — the  wisdom 
of  knowing,  and  loving,  and  serving  Him  who  alone 
can  redeem  our  poor  perishing  life  from  its  vanity, 
and  change  it  into  the  glory  and  blessedness  of  a  life 
hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Apart  from  Him,  the  in- 
dustry of  a  lifetime  is  but  elaborate  trifling,  "  the 
costly  embroidering  of  a  shroud."  United  to  Him  our 
labor  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord,  our  works  shall 
endure  and  follow  us.  Every  leaf  on  the  tree  of 
humanity  must  fade;  but  if  we  are  grafted  by  a  living 
faith  in  Him  whose  name  is  the  "  Branch,"  His  own 
gracious  promise  becomes  a  living  truth  to  us:  "  I  am 


66  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

the  resurrection  and  the  life :  he  that  believeth  in  Me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live ;  and  whosoever 
liveth,  and  believeth  in  Me,  shall  never  die." 

' '  On  the  tree  of  life  eternal, 

Man,  let  all  thy  hopes  be  stayed, 
Which,  alone  forever  vernal, 

Bears  a  leaf  which  shall  not  fade.' ' 

— Abridged  from  BIBLE  TEACHINGS  IN  NATURE. 


CHAPTER    VII. 
ONE  METHOD  FOR  THE  SELECTION  OF  TOPICS'. 

I  gladly  avail  myself  at  this  place  of  some  judicious 
remarks  on  the  selection  of  topics,  and  insert  them 
here  for  their  permanent  value,  which  were  first 
written  for  the  Interior  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  McClin- 
tock,  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  printed  in  that  paper 
last  year,  under  the  caption  "  Themes  from  the  Pews." 
A  me'thod  like  this,  in  the  absence  of  uniform  topics, 
or  the  continuous  study  of  the  Scriptures,  seems  well 
calculated  to  wake  up  the  mind  of  the  people,  and 
lead  them  to  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  and  its  spiritual  improvement. 

"n  her  delightfully  suggestive  article,  Mrs.  Cooper  wonders 
what  sort  of  themes  we  preachers  would  talk  upon  if  the  pews  gave 
them  to  us.  I  have  wondered,  too;  and  I  have  often  feared  that 
we  missed  the  very  subjects,  sometimes,  that  our  people  most 
needed.  We,  sitting  in  our  studies,  do  not  always  get  into  full 
sympathy  with  the  daily  life  of  our  people.  We  come  to  them 
with  a  sermon  about  the  philosophy  of  religion,  and  they  have 
come  to  us  to  hear  how  to  be  patient  when  the  children  are  cross, 
and  submissive  to  Providence  when  business  is  going  all  wrong. 

I  determined  to  try  the  experiment  of  letting  the  people  select 
the  themes  that  we  would  talk  about  in  prayer-meeting,  and  to  see 


68  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

if  in  this  way  I  could  not  get  a  little  nearer  to  their  every-day  life 
and  wants.  So  I  quietly  asked  a  number  of  people,  representing 
the  various  classes  in  my  church,  to  prepare  a  list  of  ten  or  fifteen 
subjects,  such  as  they  would  like  to  have  explained  and  prayed 
over,  and  hand  them  to  me.  I  had  a  splendid  response.  To  be 
sure,  the  topics  did  not  differ  from  those  I  would  have  chosen,  as 
much  as  I  supposed ;  and  I  was  glad  of  it.  For  it  encouraged  me 
to  think  that  the  pulpit  and  the  pews  did  understand  each  other 
pretty  well  after  all.  But  the  topics  were  fresh;  the  passages  of 
Scripture  chosen  to  illustrate  them  were  very  well  selected,  and  I 
felt  sure  the  people  who  made  the  selection  would  be  interested  in 
the  study  of  their  own  topics.  Out  of  the  seventy  or  eighty  handed 
to  me  by  different  persons,  there  were  enough  duplicates  to  cut 
down  the  total  to  about  the  number  needed  for  a  year.  I  arranged 
those — and  it  was  interesting  to  note  how  they  covered  nearly  the 
whole  range  of  Christian  experience,  daily  life,  and  vital  doctrine, 
and  then  I  had  them  printed  in  neat  shape  and  given  to  everybody 
in  the  congregation.  , 

We  had  such  topics  as  :  "The  Helping  Hand,"  Gal.  6:  i-io; 
"Out  into  the  Highways,"  Luke  14:  16-24;  "The  Daily  Walk," 
Eph.  5  :  1-21 ;  "Relationship  to  Christ,"  Matt.  12:46-50; 
"Christ's  Sympathy,"  John  n  :  21-44;  "  My  Duty  to  the  Prayer- 
meeting,'' Heb.  10 :  19-29;  " Christ's  Death  for  Sin,"  15.53:  1-12; 
"  The  Coming  of  Christ,"  Matt.  24:  37-51 ;  "  Planning  our  Busi- 
ness," James  4  :  13-17 ;  "  Honesty  in  all  Things,"  Prov.  20:  10-23; 
"How  to  be  Saved,"  John  3:14-21;  "  The  World  for  Christ," 
Ps.  2  :  1-12. 

The  result  was  so  pleasing  and  profitable  in  every  way,  that  I 
have  continued  the  plan.  I  am  sure  it  has  been  a  help  to  me,  and 
a  great  benefit  to  the  people  and  the  prayer-meeting. 

Why  might  not  our  churches  generally  unite  on  some  such  list  of 
topics  for  the  prayer-meeting,  and  get  the  help  that  comes  from 
united  effort  and  prayer,  even  as  we  have  in  the  Sunday-school? 
Some  time  since,  a  correspondent  proposed  this  in  your  columns. 
I  don't  know  who  it  was,  but  I  would  like  to  shake  his  hand." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  BIBLE  AND  THE  TOPICS. 

Is  is  our  main  design  to  present  a  variety  of  ways 
in  which  the  prayer-meeting  may  be  conducted  to 
interest  and  edification.  A  great  object  will  be 
gained  if  we  can  secure  a  united  and  continuous  study 
of  the  Bible.  "  Search  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them 
ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  they  are  they  which 
testify  of  me."  This  can  doubtless  be  secured  by 
selecting  some  book  of  the  Bible,  and  letting  a 
paragraph  or  a  section  of  it  suggest  the  themes  to  be 
considered  in  the  prayer-meeting  from  week  to  week 
until  the  book  is  finished.  This  method  is  at  present 
being  followed  by  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Chicago,  Dr.  A.  E.  Kittredge,  pastor.  Just  now,  as 
we  learn,  they  are  considering  the  Gospel  of  St.  John. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  prayer-meeting 
of  this  church  is  well  known  for  its  continued 
interest,  and  a  weekly  attendance  of  from  four  to  six 
hundred  persons  the  year  around.  It  would  be  well 
if,  as  in  their  case,  the  people  were  supplied  with 


7O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

copies  of  the  Bible  at  the  prayer-meeting,  to  follow 
the  reading  and  its  exposition,  or  to  take  part  in  the 
reading  whenever  that  is  desirable.  In  fact  the 
"  Bible  Reading  "  of  our  day  is  emphasizing  the  im- 
portance of  the  people  having  copies  of  the  Bible 
with  them  in  all  religious  meetings,  that  they  may 
acquire  readiness  in  turning  from  book  to  book  and 
chapter  to  chapter  in  search  of  Scriptural  truth  or 
expositions  of  it,  as  well  as  acquire  familiarity  in  the 
use  of  the  Bible  and  become  mighty  in  the  Scriptures. 
In  this  way  the  truth  will  pass  to  the  heart,  not  only 
through  the  ear,  but  also  through  the  eye,  and  such 
assistance  will  prove  valuable;  for  the  greater  the 
number  of  senses  we  can  employ  in  bringing  home 
the  truth,  the  deeper  will  be  its  impressions,  and  the 
more  lasting  its  influence. 

This  method  has  its  peculiar  advantages  that 
recommend  it  in  the  absence  of  any  plan  that  has 
been  systematized,  with  reference  to  a  full  knowledge 
of  Bible  doctrine  in  its  applications  to  daily  needs  and 
a  steady  growth  in  grace.  It  has  all  the  advantages 
of  expository  preaching.  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson, 
soon  after  entering  upon  his  ministry  at  Trinity 
Chapel,  Brighton,  announced  his  intention  of 
expounding  different  books  of  the  Bible  on  Sunday 
afternoons  that  he  might  secure  for  himself  greater 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  71 

freedom,  both  in  subject  and  in  style,  than  the  sermon 
afforded.  In  this  way  he  went  through  First  and 
Second  Samuel,  the  Acts,  Genesis,  and  the  Epistles 
to  the  Corinthians.  In  Samuel  he  was  permitted  to 
expound  "  Hebrew  national  life,  and,  incidentally,  the 
experiences  of  particular  individuals  of  that  nation, — 
in  all  of  which  he  discerned  lessons  for  the  English 
people,  and  for  the  men  and  women  who  sat  before 
him.  Thus  it  occurred  that  topics  of  national  policy, 
so  far  as  bearing  on  individuals, — questions  of  social 
life — of  morals,  as  they  are  connected  with  e very-day 
life,  arose  naturally,  and  were  treated  with  unshrink- 
ing faithfulness."  And  the  Epistles  to  the  Corin- 
thians were  selected  more  particularly,  "  because 
they  afford  the  largest  scope  for  the  consideration  of  a 
great  variety  of  questions  in  Christian  casuistry, 
which  he  thought  it  important  to  be  rightly  under- 
stood." 

By  this  method,  too,  a  very  large  portion  of 
inspired  truth  will  be  presented  at  each  meeting. 
The  subjects  considered  will  grow  out  of  the  chapters 
themselves,  and  will  have  such  progressive  move- 
ment in  thought,  variety,  and  unity,  as  the  book 
itself  possesses.  In  this  way  truths  that  might  other- 
wise be  overlooked  will  receive  proper  and  needful 
attention,  and  the  greater  variety  of  subjects  thus  con- 


-2  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

sidered  will  do  much  to  relieve  the  successive  meet- 
ings, either  from  being  too  disjointed,  or  from  being 
mere  repetitions  of  the  same  lines  of  thought. 
"Preachers,"  it  has  been  well  said,  "  are  too  apt  to  get 
the  truth  before  their  congregations,  in  one  way 
only — whatever  one  they  find  they  have  the  greatest 
facility  for;  and  that  is  like  playing  on  one  chord — 
men  get  tired  of  the  monotony.  Whereas,  preaching 
should  be  directed  to  every  element  of  human  nature 
that  God  has  implanted  in  us — to  the  imaginative,  to 
the  highly  spiritual,  to  the  moral,  to  that  phase  of  the 
intellectual  that  works  up  and  toward  the  invisible, 
and  to  the  intellectual,  that  works  down  to  the 
material  and  tangible." 

And  in  addition  to  all  this,  it  may  give  opportunity 
to  handle  certain  subjects  that  may  be  particularly 
needed  in  the  way  of  rebuke,  correction,  or  exhorta- 
tion, without  giving  offence,  or  permitting  it  to  be 
said  that  the  subjects  in  question  had  been  selected 
with  particular  reference  to  "  hitting  certain  persons  " 
in  the  church. 

And  finally,  we  will  name  a  small  number  of  books 
to  be  used  in  connection  with  this  method,  and  in  fact 
with  all  study  of  the  Bible,  which  will  form  in  itself 
a  valuable  library,  or  at  least  lay  the  foundation  for 
one,  in  the  Christian  household.  These  are:  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  73 

Bible,  a  Bible  Text-Book,  a  Concordance,  a  Diction- 
ary of  the  Bible,  a  Bible  Commentary,  a  Harmony  of 
the  Gospels,  a  History  of  the  Church,  an  Atlas  of 
Bible  Lands,  a  History  of  Doctrines,  a  History  of  the 
World,  and  Webster's  Dictionary  Unabridged. 

And  as  an  addition  to  this  chapter,  though  not  in- 
timately connected  with  it,  we  will  give  two  illustra- 
tions to  show  how  geography  and  chronology  may 
be  made  the  handmaids  of  Bible  history,  and  serve  as 
"  eyes  "  to  the  fuller  understanding  of  scriptural  truth. 

"  The  physical  and  general  geographical  features  of  the  Holy 
Land  should  be  fully  comprehended.  Palestine  proper  is  but  a 
small  country — not  as  large  as  Maryland  and  Delaware.  The 
plan  we  suggest  is  that  a  few  of  the  most  prominent  places,  repre- 
senting the  various  parts  of  the  land,  be  selected  and  fixed  indelibly 
on  the  memory.  Their  physical  peculiarities,  their  distance  and 
direction,  say  from  Jerusalem,  and  some  historical  event  for  which 
they  were  each  noted,  might  be  studied,  and  this  would  help  to 
give  them  distinctness.  Let  us  take  a  few  places  £s,  follows : 
Beersheba,  forty-two  miles  north-west  of  Jerusalem,  the  old  home 
of  the  patriarchs,  on  the  borders  of  the  desert ;  Hebron,  sixteen 
miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  here  Abraham  purchased  the  cave  of 
Macpelah ;  Samaria,  thirty-eight  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  capital 
of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  with  its  wicked  kings;  Capernaum, 
eighty-one  miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  the  scene  of  so  many  of  our 
Lord's  miracles  and  discourses;  Dan,  one  hundred  and  nine  miles 
north  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  northern  extremity  of  Palestine,  here 
Jereboam  setup  the  golden  calf;  Tyre,  one  hundred  and  six  miles 
north  of  Jerusalem,  the  great  commercial  city  of  antiquity;  Acre, 
eighty  miles  north-west  of  Jerusalem,  '  the  key  of  Syria,'  famed  in 
many  a  war;  Joppa,  thirty-five  miles  westward  from  Jerusalem 


74 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


and  the  port  of  that  city;  and  Ramoth-Gilead,  forty  miles  north- 
east of  Jerusalem,  one  of  the  cities  of  refuge,  and  the  place  where 
King  Ahab  was  slain.  If  these  leading  points  are  imprinted 
permanently  on  the  memory,  and  all  scriptural  incidents  associated 
with  one  or  the  other  of  them  or  with  Jerusalem,  then  an 
important  key  has  been  furnished  for  opening  the  sacred  treasury. 

God  has  seen  fit  to  convey  the  knowledge  of  his  will  to  us 
largely  through  history.  Accordingly  in  the  Bible  we  have  the 
history  of  the  way  in  which  salvation  was  wrought  out  for 
mankind,  of  God's  providential  dealings  with  both  good  and  bad 
men,  of  the  condition  of  the  race  when  its  Creator  was  discarded, 
and  of  the  world  both  with  and  without  religion.  We  would 
suggest  the  following  outline  for  sacred  history : 


EPOCH. 

B.C. 

NAME  OF  PEBIOD. 

£       "3 

1  .  Creation  

4004 
2348 
1921 
1706 
1491 
1451 

1095 
975 
587 

397 
00 

Antediluvian  Period  

1656 
427 
215 
215 
40 

356 
120 
388 

190 
397 

2.  Deluge  

3.  Call  of  Abraham  

Noachian  Period 

4.  Descent  into  Egypt  
5.  Exodus  

Patriarchal  Period  

Egyptian  Period  

6.  Passage  of  the  Jordan  .  . 
7.  Establishment    of    the 
Monarchy  

Wilderness  Period  

Period  of  the  Judges  

8.  Division  of  the  Monarchy 
9.  Capture  of  Jerusalem.  .  . 
10.  Close  of  Old  Testament 
History 

Period  of  United  Monarchy  
Period  of  Divided  Monarchy..  . 

Period  of  the  Captivity.  . 

11.  Birth  of  Christ  

Period  of  the  World  Powers  .  .  . 

These  divisions  of  time  have  been  made  with  especial  reference  to 
the  history  of  the  Bible.  It  will  take  but  a  very  short  time  to 
memorize  these  ten  dates,  and  it  is  recommended  that  they  be 
repeated  hundreds  of  times,  if  necessary,  so  as  to  become  perfectly 
indelible  and  familiar.  The  assertion  is  ventured  that  whoever 
does  this  will  be  astonished  and  delighted  at  the  assistance  it  will 
afford  in  understanding  the  Bible  history,  at  the  order  into  which 
it  will  reduce  the  various  events,  and  at  the  light  it  will  throw  over 

the  whole  book." 

— Selected  from  Dr.  Murphy. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
BIBLE  READINGS  FOR  THE  PRAYER  MEETING. 

A  praying  church  will  be  a  Bible-reading  church, 
and  a  Bible-reading  church  will  be  a  praying  church. 
Either  practice  will  induce  the  other.  The  revival 
in  Bible-reading  which  is  so  prominent  a  feature  of 
the  Great  Awakening  in  our  day,  shows  its  connec- 
tion with  vital  godliness,  and  the  importance  to  be 
attached  to  it  as  a  permanent  instrumentality. 

A  Bible  reading*  may  occasionally  be  introduced 
into  the  prayer-meeting  to  great  advantage,  and  be 
made  to  take  the  place  of  the  usual  remarks.  This 
will  be  found,  if  rightly  conducted,  highly  interesting 

*  Valuable  assistance  will  be  derived  from  two  books  lately  issued : 
"Hints  on  Bible  Readings,"  by  Rev.  Jno.  C.  Hill,  and  "The 
Hand-Book  of  Bible  Readings,"  by  H.  B.  Chamberlain;  also, 
''The  Hebraist's  Vade  Mecum,"  "Eadie's  Analytical  Concord- 
ance," and  "  Inglis'  Bible  Text  Encyclopedia."  Nearly  all 
the  so-called  evangelists  of  our  day  give  much  attenticn  to  this 
subject,  and  their  preaching  frequently  is  a  Bible  reading.  And 
even  the  pastors  are  beginning  to  give  much  attention  to  the 
presentation  of  Gospel  truth  through  the  agency  of  what  is  called 
''Bible  Reading."  As  testimony  of  this  we  may  name  Dr.  J.  H. 
Brookes,  Dr.  A.  T.  Pierson,  Dr.  J.H.  Vincent,  Dr.  G.  F.  Pentecost, 
Rev.  Jno.  C.  Hill.  Rev.  W.  J.  Erdman,  Rev.  W.  S.  Rainsford, 
Rev.  H.  M.  Parsons,  Rev.  G.  A.  Hall,  Rev.  W.  F.  Crafts.  Rev. 
C.  M.  Whittelsey,  Rev.  T.  B.  Stephenson.  and  many  others. 


76  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

and  profitable.  God  honors  the  instrumentality  of 
the  Word;  "for  the  Word  of  God  is  quick  and 
powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword, 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and 
spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  dis- 
cerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart." — 
Heb.  4.12. 

To  make  the  exercise  a  success,  however,  will 
require  considerable  study  on  the  part  of  the  leader; 
perhaps  fully  as  much  time  as  he  gives  to  the  preparation 
of  a  sermon.  But  the  time  thus  devoted  to  the  study 
of  the  Bible  will  amply  reward  him,  and  repay  him 
much  more  than  it  costs.  To  read  and  study  the 
Word  of  God;  to  have  the  very  words  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  inspired, — as  not  merely  the  basis  of 
our  remarks,  but  the  substance  of  our  remarks,  cannot 
prove  other  than  a  great  blessing. 

In  order  to  prepare  for  a  Bible  reading  the  leader 
should  select  some  important  subject  relating  to 
Biblical  doctrine,  Christian  daily  life  and  experience, 
the  cultivation  of  piety,  or  the  practical  duties  of 
religion.  Having  chosen  his  theme,  let  him  next 
turn  to  his  Concordance  and  hunt  up  all  the  Scripture 
texts  that  really  bear  upon  his  topic.  Help  in  the 
selection  may  also  be  derived  from  Scripture  text- 
books, "  Hitchcock's  Analysis  of  the  Bible," 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  7/ 

u  Locke's  Common-place  Book  of  the  Holy  Bible," 
"The  Englishman's  Hebrew  and  Chaldee  Con- 
cordance of  the  Old  Testament,"  "The  Englishman's 
Greek  Concordance  of  the  New  Testament,"  and 
such  other  books  of  a  kindred  nature  as  he  may 
have  in  his  possession.  He  will  find  it  very  con- 
venient to  copy  on  separate  slips  of  paper  each 
passage  with  the  book  and  verse  indicated  from 
which  it  is  taken.  After  he  has  written  out  all  the 
passages  having  chief  relevancy  to  his  topic,  he  will 
then  begin  to  compare  Scripture  with  Scripture,  in 
order  to  classify  the  texts  and  arrange  them  under 
their  more  appropriate  divisions.  In  this  way  he  will 
soon  discover  the  harmony  of  Scriptures,  and  how 
forcibly,  as  well  as  beautifully,  they  teach  and 
illustrate  his  subject.  As  each  text  is  written  in  full, 
and  separate  from  the  others,  it  can  easily  be 
changed  from  place  to  place  until  the  appropriate 
place  and  logical  order  for  all  have  been  discovered, 
and  now  he  can  take  a  strip  of  paper  and  pin  each 
text  in  its  place  under  its  proper  head  and  subdivision. 
The  list  of  texts  is  now  ready  to  be  numbered  i,  2, 
3,  etc.,  in  the  order  of  sequence  for  the  public 
reading.  If  he  finds  that  he  has  several  texts  of 
like  import,  he  can  select  the  one  best  adapted  to 
illustrate  his  subject  and  make  a  marginal  reference  to 


78  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

the  others  without  reading  them.  And  between  the 
texts,  if  they  are  pinned  somewhat  apart,  he  can  jot 
down  in  outline  such  remarks  and  illustrations  as  will 
connect  the  reading,  and  give  it  point  and  applica- 
tion. It  will  not  be  enough  to  read  detached  portions 
of  Scripture,  for  in  the  rapid  presentation  of  the 
texts  alone,  the  people  might  fail  to  catch  their 
import  and  relative  bearing  upon  your  subject. 

Major  Whittle  has  given  a  very  serviceable  caution 
to  those  who  have  not  as  yet  had  much  experience 
with  exercises  of  this  sort,  that  we  do  well  to  heed. 
"  Be  careful,"  he  says,  "  not  to  make  the  reading  too 
long.  Better  to  divide  your  topic^  into  five  or  six 
readings,  and  bring  out  the  Scriptures  upon  each  head 
to  your  own  satisfaction,  than  to  crowd  too  many 
heads  into  one  reading.  You  will  find  the  instruc- 
tion thus  given  more  easily  apprehended  and  more 
carefully  retained.  The  fault  with  most  of  us  lay 
workers,  who  have  been  uninstructed  in  the  logical 
presentation  of  truth,  is  in  the  beginning  of  our 
work  to  make  our  readings  too  cumbersome.  My 
first  Bible  reading  on  '  Faith '  contained  some  sixty 
scriptural  references.  Before  they  were  all  read  the 
audience  were  tired,  and  it  was  a  source  of  anxiety 
and  difficulty  for  me  to  interest  them.  That  same 
Bible  reading  for  one  meeting  has  now  developed 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  79 

into  seven,  given  as  a  course,  at  seven  successive 
meetings,  with  seeming  interest  and  appreciation  on 
the  part  of  the  people,  and  pleasure  to  myself." 

If  you  have  adopted  a  list  of  topics  for  the  prayer- 
meeting  and  running  through  the  year,  you  can 
select  from  this  list  such  subjects,  at  suitable  intervals 
of  time,  as  seem  best  adapted  for  exposition  by  a 
Bible  reading,  and  then  give  to  its  preparation  such 
study  and  prayer  as  shall  serve  to  bring  out  its 
truths  into  boldness  and  clearness  of  view. 

"  The  very  best  of  Bible  readings  are  gotten  up  by 
hard  work,"  says  the  Rev.  Jno.  C.  Hill — "  searching 
the  Scriptures,  many  of  them  are  long  months  in 
making.  In  order  to  make  these,  you  must  search 
the  Scriptures  daily,  and  at  every  turn  you  will  find 
something  new;  note  it,  and  save  it  for  future  use. 
A  good  plan  is  this:  have  a  lot  of  large  envelopes 
the  size  of  a  note  sheet,  mark  them  on  one  corner 
with  a  topic — e.  g.,  love,  assurance,  etc.;  arrange 
these  in  alphabetical  order,  and  whenever  you  get  an 
idea,  lose  no  time  to  note  it  on  a  slip  and  place  it  in  its 
proper  envelope.  File  away  your  illustrations  in  the 
same  way.  Scrap-books  are  not  well  adapted  to  this 
work ;  too  much  time  is  lost  in  pasting  and  indexing, 
and  even  then  time  is  lost  in  gathering  your  material 
scattered  all  through  the  book,  while  by  the  envelope 


8O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

system  you  have  all  your  scraps  and  verses  before 
you  at  a  single  glance.  The  lay  evangelists,  Moody, 
Whittle,  Cole,  Moorehouse,  and  others,  use  this 
method." 

But  as  the  people  are  to  take  part  in  this  exercise, 
the  references  may  be  read  by  them  in  concert  from 
their  Bibles;  or  what  will  doubtless  prove  more 
expeditious,  by  certain  ones  in  the  audience  who  are 
good  readers,  and  who,  having  received  each  a  text 
numbered  on  a  slip  of  paper  prepared  for  this  purpose, 
will  promptly  respond.  And  in  case  there  should  be 
any  delay  in  the  reading,  it  will  be  best  for  the  leader 
to  read  it  himself  and  not  delay  the  meeting. 

There  are  thus  two  methods*  for  reading  and 
studying  the  Bible. 

i.  To  read  it  continuously.  It  would  be  well  if 
every  Christian  would  read  his  Bible  through  once 
every  year.  "  I  never  heard  of  a  man,"  says  George 
Rodgers,  "  who  read  it  right  through,  and  then  said  he 
did  not  believe  in  it;.  Read  it  all  through  and  it  will  be 
sure  to  get  hold  of  you  somewhere;  it  will  then  get 

*These  methods  may  be  particularized  as  follows  :  I.  Reading 
the  word  :  (a)  Daily  devotional  reading,  (b)  Social  reading,  (c) 
Reading  sacred  biographies,  (d)  A  book  at  a  continuous  reading. 
2.  Studying :  (a)  By  topics,  (b)  By  words,  (c)  By  references, 
(d)  By  books. 

Presented  by  H.  B.  Chamberlain,  at  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Conference,  lately  held 
at  Baldwinsville,  N.  Y. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  8  I 

into  the  movement  and  become  a  necessity  for  your 
being;  you  cannot  after  that  do  without  it." 

2.  To  read  it  topically  so  as  to  get  its  collected 
and  entire  teaching  on  a  particular  subject.  Such 
Bible  reading  was  not  possible  before  the  entire 
volume  was  completed.  During  the  1500  years 
of  its  composition  the  Bible  was  incomplete  and  not 
generally  accessible;  but  now  that  the  canon  has 
been  closed  and  printing  invented,  the  book  is  so 
multiplied  that  every  person  may  possess  a  copy  in  its 
completeness,  and  read  and  study  its  pages  both  con- 
nectedly and  separately.  And  besides  this,  there  are 
various  helps  to  facilitate  his  study  and  guide  him  to 
a  clearer  understanding  of  the  truth. 

If  the  minister  can  succeed  in  making  his  church 
into  a  sort  of  Biblical  institute  for  the  continuous  and 
the  topical  study  of  the  Bible,  his  labors  will  be 
greatly  blessed  both  to  them  and  to  others,  as  well  as 
to  himself.  And  if  such  reading  of  the  Bible,  as 
has  just  been  sketched,  be  occasionally  made  the 
order  for  the  prayer-meeting,  it  can  hardly  be 
doubted  that  its  influence  and  result  shall  be  felt  and 
seen  in  all  the  departments  of  life  and  doctrine  ;  and 
that  the  Church,  which  is  the  body  of  Christ,  shall  be 
systematically  edified,  and  the  unsaved  brought  to 
rejoice  in  the  gracious  knowledge  and  experience  of 
the  truth. 


CHAPTER     X . 
ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  BIBLE  READINGS. 

We  have  selected  a  number  of  Bible  readings, 
which  as  examples  have  peculiar  relevancy  to  our 
subject — the  prayer-meeting.  For  these  selections 
we  are  mainly  indebted  to  the  two  books  mentioned 
in  a  foot-note  to  the  last  chapter. 

I.     THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

i.  His  PERSONALITY. 

He  is  described  in  the  Word  of  God  as  a  person,  and  not  as  an 
influence,  John  14:16,  17,  25,  26;  15:26;  16:7-15. 
Acts  8:  29;  10:  19;  15:  28.  The  words  he  and  kirn 
should  always  be  used,  instead  of  the  word  it,  when  speak- 
ing of  the  Spirit. 

We  are  baptized  into  His  name,  and  He  is  invoked  in  prayer, 
showing  that  He  is  a  person  as  truly  as  the  Father  and 
the  Son.  Matt.  28:  19;  2  Cor.  13:  14;  Eph.  6:  18. 

Men  are  said  to  vex,  to  blaspheme,  to  resist,  to  grieve,  to 
to  quench  the  Spirit,  which  they  could  not  do  unless  He 
is  a  person.  Isaiah  63 :  10  ;  Matt.  12:31;  Acts  7:51; 
Eph.  4:30;  i  Thess.  5:  19. 

He  does  those  things  for  us  that  can  be  done  only  by  a  person, 
for  it  is  He  who  regenerates,  quickens,  tedches,  reproves, 
helps  and  sanctifies  the  believer.  John  3:5;  6  : 63 ; 
16:8;  Rom.  8:26;  iCor.  6:11. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  83. 

Personal  acts  that  could  not  be  performed  by  an  attribute  or 
influence  are  ascribed  to  Him,  as  when  He  is  said  to 
know,  to  reveal,  to  bestow  power,  to  love,  to  search  the 
deep  things  of  God,  and  to  distribute  of  His  manifold 
gifts  "to  every  man  severally  as  He  will."  John  16: 
13,  14;  Acts  1:8;  Rom.  15:30;  i  Cor.  2:10,  n; 
12:  8-1 1. 

It  is  often  affirmed  in  the  Bible  that  the  Spirit  "said"  and. 
"spake,"  proving  conclusively  that  He  is  a  person. 
2  Sam.  23 :  2  ;  Mark  12 :  36 ;  Acts  r  :  16 ;  13  :  2 ;  21 :  n  ; 
28 :  25  ;  i  Tim.  4:1;  Heb.  3:7;  Rev.  3:7;  14 :  1 3 ; 
22 :  17. 

The  visible  manifestations  of  the  Spirit  show  that  He  is  a  per- 
son.    Matt.  3:16;   Luke   3:21,22;    John  1:32;    Acts 
2:  3,4- 
2.  His  DIVINITY. 

He  is  called  God.  2  Sam.  23:  23;  Isa.  6:8,  9,  compared 
with  Acts  18:  25;  Jer.  31:  31-34,  compared  with  Heb. 
10 :  15;  Acts  5:3,  4. 

He  possesses  the  perfections  of  God ;  as  omnipotence,  om- 
niscience, omnipresence,  holiness,  eternal  existence,  Job 
26:  13;  Psalm  139  :  7;  Romans  1:4;  I  Cor.  2  :  10; 
Heb.  9:  14. 

He  performs  the  works  of  God,  Gen.  1:2;  Ex.  31:  3;  Job 
33:4;  Psa.  104:  30;  Isa.  11:2;  Rom.  8:  ii ;  15:16, 
i  Cor.  2:  14;  2  Peter  i :  21 ;  Rev.  11 :  u. 

Sin  against  Him  is  sin  against  God.  Mark  3:  28,  29:  Acts 
5:9;  Heb.  4:  7-9;  10:29. 

He  exercises  the  sovereignty  and  resistless  will  of  God,  Num.. 
9:  26;  24:  2;  Jud.  14:  6;  i  Sam.  10:  6;  Neh.  9:  20; 
Isa.  11:13;  Isa.  63:  10,  n,  14;  Mic.  2:7;  Zech.  4:6; 
Luke  12:  11,12;  Acts  13:4;  16:6,7;  20:28; 
i  Cor.  12  :  ii. 

We  depend  upon  Him  as  upon  God,  Mark  13 :  n  ;  John  3:5; 
14:26;  16:7-14;  Acts  4:31;  9:31;  10:19,20; 


84  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

Rom.  8  :  9-16,  26  ;    15  :  13 ;     i  Cor.  3 :  16,  17  ;    i  John, 

4:  13- 

We  are  required  to  recognize  Him  as  God,  Matt.  28  :  19; 
Rom.  15:30;  i  Cor.  6:11;  2  Cor.  13:14;  Eph.  4:30; 
i  John  5  :  6-9  ;  Rev.  3  :  22. 

3.  HE  IS  REVEALED  IN  THE  OLD    TESTAMENT    AS    FILLING   MEN, 

OR  COMING  UPON  THEM,  BUT  NOT  AS  ABIDING  WITH  THEM, 
OR  DWELLING  IN  THEM.  The  Old  Testament  saints,  while 
saved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  through  faith  in  the  promised 
Messiah,  were  not  linked  to  a  risen  man  at  God's  right  hand  ; 
but  corporately  and  dispensationally  their  place  was  on  the 
earth.  Ex.  31:3;  Num.  11:25-29;  24:2;  Deut.  34:9; 
Judges  3  : 10  ;  6:34;  13:25;  14:  6,  19  ;  15  : 14  ;  I  Sam.  10: 
6,  10 ;  ii  :6;  16:13,14;  2  Chron.  15  : 1  ;  20:14;  24:20; 
Mic.  3:8;  Exodus  19:5,  6 ;  Deuteronomy  33:8;  Isaiah 
43  :  9,  10 :  Amos  3  :  2. 

4.  HE  IS    REVEALED   IN  THE   NEW   TESTAMENT  AFTER   A   NEW 

MANNER  AND  FOR  A  NEW  PURPOSE,  and  hence  His  coming 
is  said  to  depend  upon  the  finished  work  of  Christ.  He  is 
present  now  in  the  world  to  gather  out  a  people  unto  the  name 
of  Jesus,  to  regenerate  them,  to  abide  with  them  forever,  to 
dwell  in  them,  to  sanctify  them,  to  give  them  their  place  and 
portion  in  the  heavens,  and  to  constitute  them  the  body  of 
which  the  risen  Saviour  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high  is  the  living  Head.  Acts  15: 14;  Matt.  3:11;  John  3  ;  5  ; 
7  :  39  ;  14 :  16,  17,  26  ;  15  :  26  ;  16 :  7  ;  Acts  19 :  2  ;  Rom.  5  :  5; 
8:9;!  Cor.  6:  19;  12: 13:  Eph.  2  :  22  ;  4:4;  Hebrews  3:1; 
10 : 34 ;  I  Peter  i :  2  ;  I  John  4 : 17. 

5.  THE  PROMISE  OF  THE  COMFORTER  WAS  FULFILLED  ON  THE 

DAY  OF  OUR  LORD'S  RESURRECTION,  which  was  also  the  day 
of  His  ascension  in  behalf  of  his  people ;  but  the  promise  of 
the  Spirit  as  the  power  of  testimony  and  service  was  fulfilled 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  following  His  visible  and  final  ascen- 
sion to  the  right  hand  of  God.  The  same  two-fold  relation  of 
Christ,  first  secretly  to  His  own,  and  then  openly  in  connection 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  85 

with  them  to  the  world  at  large,  runs  all  through  the  Scrip- 
tures. He  comes  for  His  saints,  and  afterwards  appears  with 
them.  Compare  John  20 :  22  with  Gen.  2:7;  John  20 : 17  with 
Matt.  28  :  9  ;  Acts  1 :  8  ;  2  : 1,17  with  Joel  2  :  23-32.  It  shows  a 
lack  of  intelligence  for  Christians  to  pray  for  the  Spirit  as  if  He 
were  given  occasionally,  or  as  if  He  had  taken  His  departure; 
but  it  is  proper  to  pray  for  the  increased  manifestations  of  His 
presence  and  power.  John  14:16,17;  Acts  2:33:  4:31; 
5:32;  6:5,  8;  7:55;  8:17,  29,  39;  9:31;  10:44;  11:24; 
13  :  2,  4  ;  15:8;  16  :  6,  7  ;  19  :  6  ;"  20:  28  ;  21 :  II  ;  Eph.  i :  17; 
Rev.  22  : 16,  17  ;  Malachi  4  :  6. 

6.    THERE  is  A  STRIKING  ANALOGY  BETWEEN  THE  RELATIONS 

OF   THE  SPIRITUAL  TO  THE  PERFECT  HUMAN  NATURE  OF 

CHRIST,  AND   His   RELATIONS  TO  THOSE  WHO  ARE  MADE 

PARTAKERS  OF  THE  DIVINE  NATURE.     Christ  as  a  man  was 

bom  of  the  Spirit.     Matt.  1 : 18-20  ;  Luke  1:35;  Heb.  10 :  5. 

He  was  anointed  and  sealed  with   the   Spirit.     Matt.  3 : 16 ; 

Mark  1 : 10  ;  Luke  3  :  22  ;   John   1 :  32,  33  ;  6  :  27  ;   Acts 

10 : 38. 

He  was  led  by  the  Spirit.  Matt.  4:1;  Mark  1:12;  Luke  4  :  i. 
Reacted  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  Matt.  12:28;  Luke  4: 

14-18  ;  John  3  :  34  ;  Acts  1 :  2. 

He  was  justified  by  the  Spirit.  Romans  1:4;!  Timothy  3 : 16. 
He  offered  Himself  by  the  Spirit.  Hebrews  9 ;  14. 
He  was  raised  up  by  the  Spirit.  Romans  8  :n;  i  Peter  3  : 18. 
See  also  Isaiah  11:2;  Rev.  3:1.  So  Christians  are  (a) 
born  of  the  Spirit.  John  3 :  5,  6,  8 ;  Titus  3 : 5.  (0) 
They  are  anointed  and  sealed  with  the  Spirit,  2  Cor.  i :  22  ; 
5:5;  Eph.  1:13:  i  John  2  :  27.  (c)  They  are  led  by  the 
Spirit,  Romans  8:4,  14  ;  I  Cor.  6  : 19,  20  ;  Gal.  5  : 16-18. 
(</)  They  act  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  John  7  :  38,  39  ; 
Acts  i :  8  ;  Romans  8  :  26.  (e)  They  are  justified  by  the 
Spirit,  i  Cor.  6:  it.  (/)  They  offer  themselves  unto 
God  through  the  Spirit.  Rom.  15:16;  I  Cor.  12:3-13; 
Galatians  4:4-6;  5 : 25  ;  I  Peter  1:2,  22.  (g)  They 
are  raised  up  by  the  Spirit.  Romans  8 :  II. 


•86  THE  PRAYER-MEETING. 

7.     THE  OFFICES  OF  THE  SPIRIT  IN   CONNECTION  WITH  THE 

BELIEVER. 
He  is  the  Seal.     Many  think  of  Him  as  the  Sealer,  and  are  in 

confusion   about  the  seal ;  but   He  Himself  is  the  seal. 

2  Cor.  i :  22  ;  Eph.  1:13. 
He  testifies  of  Christ,  and  never  turns  our  eyes  to  the  work 

clone  in  us,  but  to  the  work  done  for  us,  as  the  ground  of 

our  consolation.     John  15  :  26  ;   16  :  14. 
He  teaches  in  such  a  way  that  the  humblest  believer  who  is 

subject  to  His  guidance  is  in  no  need  of  human  authority. 

John  14  :  26  ;  i  Cor.  2  :  14  ;  i  John  2  :  27. 
He  bears  witness  by  confirming  to  the  heart  the  truth  of  God's 

Word.     Romans  8:15,  16  ;  Galatians  4:6;  i  John  5:6.    •. 
He  dwells  in  those  whom  He  has  united  to  a  risen  Christ,  and 

builds  them  together  for  an  habitation  of  God.     Romans 

8  :  9  ;  i  Cor.  6:19;  Eph.'  2  :  22. 
He  is  the  author  of  revelation,  and  the  bestower  of  all  gifts  and 

graces.      2  Pet.  1:21;  i   Cor.  2  : 10-13  ;  12:  4-11  ;  Gal 

5  :  22,  23. 
He  is  the  Comforter  and  Helper  of  the  saints,  and  the  power 

of  their  acceptable  worship.     John  14:16;  Rom.  8  :  26  ; 

Eph.   6 :  18  ;    Philippians  3:3;    i  John  3  :  24  ;    Jude  20. 

Believers  are  urged  not  to  grieve  or  quench  the  Spirit. 

while  unbelievers  are  said  to  resist  Him,  and  their  sin  is 

demonstrated  by  His  presence  on  the  earth.    Eph.  4:30; 

i  Thess.  5:19;  Acts  7:51;  John  16 :  8.     May  we  dwell 

more  upon  the  amazing  love  of  the  Spirit,  Romans  15  : 30. 

— Dr.  J.  H.    Brookes. 

Dr.  Brookes  is  the  editor  of  a  valuable  monthly,  THE  TRUTH,  a 
publication  which  contains  abundant  illustrations  of  the  Word  and 
Bible  readings. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  87 

II.    HOW  TO  USE  THE  BIBLE  WITH  CHRISTIAN 
WORKERS. 

I. — Acquaint  yourself  with  the  Bible. 

To  use  the  Bible  efficiently  in  your  work,  you  must  first  be  ac- 
quainted with  it.  Jesus  says  (John  5  :  39)  "  Search  the  Scriptures," 
implying  that  you  must  go  down  beneath  the  surface  to  discover 
the  depths  of  the  riches  of  the  wisdom  of  God.  In  Acts  17  :  II  it 
is  written,  "These  were  more  noble  than  those  in  Thessalonica." 
Notice  the  stamp  of  nobility  which  God  recognizes.  Is  it  nobility 
of  birth?  social  station?  wealth?  learning?  No!  Those  were 
noble  men  and  women,  "in  that  they  received  the  Word  with  all 
readiness  of  mind,  and  searched  the  Scriptures  daily  whether  these 
things  were  so."  That  is  the  title  to  nobility  in  God's  estimation. 
Last  winter  in  St.  Louis,  when  the  snow  was  deep,  a  gentleman  on 
leaving  a  house  one  night  to  enter  his  sleigh  dropped  a  diamond 
ring.  It  sank  in  the  snow.  No  casual  search  for  it  would  answer. 
He  at  once  placed  near  the  spot  a  large  box,  hired  the  policeman  to 
keep  search  during  the  night,  and  at  the  early  dawn  made  persist- 
ent watch  until  he  found  it.  He  did  this  because  it  was  something 
precious  in  his  estimation.  But  what  is  a  diamond  compared  with 
the  riches  of  grace  and  glory  which  will  be  found  in  this  blessed 
book?  Seek  this  acquaintance,  because  (i)  By  it  we  are  born 
again  :  James  I  :  18  ;  i  Peter  i :  23.  (2)  It  makes  clean  :  John 
*5  •  3-  (.3)  It  builds  up.  Paul  says  to  the  elders  at  Ephesus,  "  The 
Word  is  able  to  build  you  up  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among 
them  which  are  sanctified."  Also,  i  Peter  2  :  2.  (4)  It  sanctifies 
and  saves.  Jesus  says  (John  17:17),  "Sanctify  them  through 
thy  truth  ;  thy  Word  is  truth."  So  Paul,  2  Thess.  2  : 13.  (5)  It 
accomplishes  God's  will:  Is.  5:10,  u  ;  Jer.  23:29.  (6)  It  is  all 
powerful :  2  Cor.  10  :  4.  In  Ephesians  6  : 17,  the  one  weapon 
given  for  attack  upon  the  foe  is  the  "  Sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is 
the  Word  of  God."  (7)  It  is  all  sufficient,  as  Jesus  declares. 
Luke  6 :  31,  and  in  John  15  :  10-13,  we  are  told  "  He  that  believeth 
not  God  hath  made  him  a  liar."  \Vhy  ?  Simply  because  "  he 
believeth  not  the  record  which  God  gave  of  his  Son." 


88  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

II. — All  Scripture  is  of  God :  2  Tim.  3 :  16.  From  the  first 
word  of  Genesis  to  the  last  word  of  Revelation,  all  is  inspired : 
2  Peter  1 : 19-21.  "  We  have  a  more  sure  word."  More  sure  in 
one  sense  than  the  brightest  flashes  of  glory  that  were  ever  seen 
upon  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  A  great  many  people  think 
prophecy  is  a  dark  place.  God  says  here,  it  is  "a  light  which 
shines  in  a  dark  place."  They  "spake  as  they  were  moved,"  not 
as  they  thought,  not  as  they  imagined,  but  as  they  were  "moved 
by  the  Holy  Ghost."  Hence  Jesus  in  His  charge  to  His  disciples. 
Matt.  10: 19,  20,  said:  "  It  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  Spirit  of 
your  Father  which  speaketh  in  you."  See  also  Acts  3  :  21 ;  4:  25  ; 

2  Sam.  23  :  2. 

Moreover  the  Scripture  is  called  :  (i)  The  oracles  of  God :  Rom. 

3  : 1,  2.     (2)  The  Word  of  God  :  Mark  7  : 13.     (3)  The  Word  of 
the  Lord :  Acts  8  :  25.     (4)  The  Word  of  Truth :  2  Cor.  6  :  7.     (5) 
The  Word  of  Life :  John  6  :  68.       (6)  The  Word  of  Christ :  Col- 
3  : 16.  (7)  The  Word  of  Faith  :  Rom.  10 :  8,  9. 

I  want  to  press  this  text  home  upon  any  unsaved  friends.  The 
Word  is  nigh  you  to-night ;  nearer  than  when  St.  Paul  wrote  these 
verses.  An  insane  woman  had  shut  herself  up  in  a  room  with  a 
little  child  till  both  were  nearly  dead.  When  we  burst  into  the 
room,  we  found  the  child  lying  on  the  bed  able  only  to  whisper, 
"  water,  water."  When  her  little  trembling  hands  pressed  the 
goblet  to  her  lips  she  was  scarcely  able  to  hold  it ;  but,  as  it  re- 
freshed her,  she  seized  it  with  a  strong,  nervous  grasp.  When 
your  perishing,  thirsty  soul  receives  the  word  of  Faith,  not  the 
strength  of  your  grasp  on  it,  but  the  divine  power  of  the  refreshing 
Word  will  give  consolation  and  strength. 

III. — All  Scripture  is  about  Christ:  John  5:39-46.  He  does 
not  say,  Search  part  of  them.  Again,  read  Luke  4:21;  also  Luke 
24 :  25-27.  Now  observe,  that  beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the 
prophets  he  expounded  concerning  Himself  ;  Luke  24 :  32.  I  do 
not  wonder  that  their  hearts  burned  within  them.  Many  of  the 
hearts  of  God's  people  have  burned  within  them  when  they  have 
found  Christ  in  the  Old  Testament,  where  they  never  thought  of 
discovering  Him  before.  In  Luke  24  :  44,  45,  he  says,  "All  things 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  89 

are  written  there  about  Me,"  in  those  three  great  divisions  of  the 
Old  Testament.  Look  at  what  is  said  in  Matt.  2:  13-15,  in  the 
light  of  which  read  Hosea  11:1  ;  Acts  17:2,  3.  He  did  not 
reason  with  them  out  of  human  science,  human  logic,  or  human 
learning,  but  out  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  Remember  this 
when  you  are  attacked  as  Christian  workers  by  fallible  science ;  and 
never  study  the  Bible  in  the  light  of  science,  but  study  science  in 
the  light  of  the  Bible.  If  you  want  to  make  efficient  workers,  build 
not  on  a  metaphysical  basis,  but  on  the  divine  interpretation  of 
God's  blessed  Word.  Apollos  was  mighty  here;  Acts  18  :  28.  In 
the  last  chapter  of  Acts,  23d  verse,  we  see  Paul  occupied  all  day 
with  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures.  How  many  of  us  find  enough 
in  the  Old  Testament  to  occupy  us  all  day  ?  Mr.  Whittle  told  me 
last  summer  of  an  unlettered  man  who  had  studied  the  Bible  until 
he  had  become  convinced,  without  any  outside  suggestions,  that  the 
last  clause  of  Rom.  8:  I,  did  not  belong  there.  I  believe  that  man 
was  taught  that  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

IV. — All  Scripture  is  for  ourselves:  Rom.  15:4;  i  Cor.  4:2. 
Believe  and  act  as  if  you  believed  that  the  Word  of  God  is  for  you  ; 
become  acquainted  with  its  precious  words,  and  gently  lead  the 
lost  into  the  palace  of'  God :  I  Thess.  2  :  13.  The  poor  empress 
Cnrlotta  had  escaped  from  the  palace.  Her  physician  knew  that  a 
rude  shock  would  dethrone  forever  her  tottering  reason.  Knowing 
her  fondness  for  flowers,  he  scattered  them  in  her  pathway,  and 
she,  charmed  like  a  child,  was  safely  led  back  again.  If  you  want 
to  become  efficient  workers  for  the  Master,  seek  for  and  strew  the 
beautiful  flowers  of  Scripture  in  paths  of  those  who  have  wandered, 
and  lure  them  back  to  God. 

V. — Cherish  as  Christian  workers  a  feeling  of  dependence  upon 
the  Holy  Spirit.  In  John  8  :  38,  39,  and  Acts  i :  8,  Jesus  inculcates 
this  dependence  upon  his  disciples.  In  Acts  6  :  5,  Stephen  is  "full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  in  8th  verse,  we  find  him  "full  of  power." 
We  also  receive  the  spirit  of  adoption  :  Rom.  8:15,  and  Gal.  4  :  6. 
Until  with  child-like  confidence  we  know  God  as  our  Father,  we 
cannot  be  efficient  workers.  Little  May  Newton  three  years  old, 


QO  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

in  her  father's  arms  fired  the  explosion  which  opened  Hell  Gate  to 
commerce.  And  the  child  of  God  who  is  filled  with  His  Spirit 
finds  nothing  impossible  to  him  :  2  Tim.  i :  7. 

VI. — To  become  efficient  workers,  make  use  of  prayer  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Word  :  Matt.  21 :  21 ;  Luke  11:9;  John  14  :  13,  and 
16  :  24.  What  hath  God  wrought  in  answer  to  prayer  ?  Jas.  5  : 
17,  18. 

VII. — In  your  work  think  of  the  value  of  the  soul :  Matt.  16 :  27  ; 
18  :  10,  II,  14  ;  and  of  the  Lord's  approval ;  2  Cor.  5  :  9. 

— Dr.  J.  H.  Brookes. 


III.    HOW  TO  STUDY  THE  BIBLE. 

1.  OBJECT  IN  STUDY. — Find  Christ.    John  5:  39;    Luke   24: 
27,  44;    Acts   28:23;    2  Tim.  3:16;    John  6:63;    Ps.   138:2; 
John  i  1-14  ;  John  3  :  11-13,   34- 

2.  LIFE  BY  THE  WORD. — Jas.  i  :  18-21 ;  i  Pet.  1 123  ;  Deut. 
8:3;  John  5  :  39  ;  John  6 : 63  ;  Ps.  119  :  130. 

3.  GROWTH. — Job  23:12;    Jer.   15:16;  John  6:35;    Matt. 
5:652  Thess.  2:13;  Eph.  5  :  26. 

4.  POWER. — Is.  40  :  8  ;  Ps.  119  :  89  ;  John  15:7;  Eph.  6  :  17  ; 
Heb.  4:12;  Rom.  10  :  17. 

5.  SEARCHING  IN  STUDY. — John  5  :  39  ;  2  Tim.  2:15. 

6.  DEPENDENCE  ON  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. — John  15: 13;  16:26; 
Jude  20  ;  Jas.  1 :  5  ;  i  Cor.  2  :  9,  10,  12,  13. 

7.  WITH  THE  WHOLE  MIND  AND  HEART. — i  Chron.  28:9; 
2  Chron.  15  :2  ;  Is.  26:  3. 

8.  SEEK   LIGHT  FROM    ANY    WHO   ARE  TAUGHT  BY  THE 
SPIRIT. — 2  Pet.  i :  20,  21 ;  i  Tim.  4: 13-16. 

9.  AFTER  MUCH  STUDY  HAVE  CLEAR,   POSITIVE  VIEWS. — 
2  Tim.  i :  8-13  ;  Ps.  51 :  12,  13. 

Pray  before  reading ;  read  and  pray ;  search  and  pray ;  review 
and  pray;  holdfast.  (2  Tim.  3:14-17;  2  Tim.  4:7).  Look  for 
large  results  from  the  right  study  of  the  Word  of  God  ;  for  a  fuller 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  9! 

knowledge  of  God  as  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost ;  and  for  the 
rich  and  abundant  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  daily  life.  (Gal.  5  : 
22,  23).  — Selected. 


IV.     THE  PRAYER  OF  FATTH. 

1.  STATE  OF  HEART. — Helplessness.      Matt.    15  :  25.     Need, 
Matthew    14:30.     Want,    Acts  16:30.     Distance,    Luke    18:13. 
Guilt,  Luke  15:21.     Condemnation,  Pa.  51  : 4.     Defilement,  Luke 
5:8. 

2.  LOOKING   TO   THE    LORD. — To   Jesus,  the   Person,    Heb. 
12:2.      The  able   Saviour,    Heb.   7:25.      The    willing    Saviour, 
Mait.   8:3.     The  near  Saviour,  Heb.  10:22.     Jesus,  our  Sacrifice, 
i  Cor.  5  :  7.     Jesus,  our  Substitute,  2  Cor.  5  :2i.     Jesus,  our  Sane- 
tification,  i  Cor.  i  :  30. 

3.  CONFESSION. — Of  sin,  Ps.  £i :  3.     Of  specific  sins,    I   John 
1:9.     Of  besetting  sins,  Heb.  12  :  I.     Of  past  sins,  Ps.  25  :  7.     Of 
presumptuous  sins,  Ps.  15  :  3.     Of  secret  sins.  Ps.  19:  12. 

4.  SUPPLICAIION.— For  pardon,    Ps.   51:7.     For   purity,    Ps. 
51 : 10.      For    the   Spirit,    Eph.  3  :  16.       For  Christ's   indwelling, 
Eph.  3:  17,  first  clau>e.     For  knowledge,  Eph.  3  :  19.     For  saints, 
Eph.  6  :  18.     For  fellowmen,  Rom.  10  :  i. 

5.  INTERCESSION. — Of  the  Spirit,    Rom.    8  :  26.     For  others, 
i  Tim.   2  : 1.     For  the  Word,    2  Thess.  3:1.     For  the  Church, 
Ps.  122:6.     For  ministers,    Eph.  6:19.     In  the  Spirit,  Jude  20. 
Through  Christ,  i  John  2:1,  2. 

6.  EXPECTATION  OF  FAITH. — Longing,  Ps.  61  :  i.    Promise  of 
help,  Ps.  91 :  14.      Promise  of  deliverance,  Ps.  91 :  15.     Promise  of 
comfort,  Ps.  60:15.     Promise  of   rest.   Matt.  11:28.     Promise  of 
gifts,  Matt.  7  :  7.     Satisfaction  of  all  desires,  Matt.  II  :  24. 

7.  IMPORTUNITY. — Constancy,  2  Chn.n.  15:2,  last  half.     De- 
light,   Ps.  37  :  5.     Complete  confidence,    Ps.  37  :  5.     Continuance. 
Luke   i3:i;    I  Thess.  5:17.     Persistence,  Gen.  32:26.     Repeti- 
tion, 2  Cor.  12:8,  9.     Assurance,  John  15:7. 

— Rev,  H.  Af.  Parsons. 


92  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

V.     WHAT  A  PRAYER-MEETING  SHOULD  BE. 

1.  REGULAR  AND  PUNCTUAL  ATTENDANCE. — Heb.  10 :  25. 

2.  BRING  OTHERS. — Num.  10  :  29. 

3.  COME  PRAYING. — John  12 :  21 ;  John  15:5. 

4.  CONTINUE  IN  PRAYER. — Acts  i  :  4,  14. 

5.  AVOID  CRITICISM. — Ps.  133  :  i  ;  Rom.  12  : 10  ;  John  17  :  23  ; 

6.  PARTICIPATE   PROMPTLY   AND   HEARTILY  IN  THE  EXER- 
CISES.— Col.  3:16;  2  Cor.  i  :  ii ;  Heb.  4 :  16. 

7.  LET  ALL  THE  EXERCISES  BE  BRIEF. — Eccl.  5 : 2. 

8.  KEEP  IN  MIND  THAT  WE  SPEAK  AND  SING  BEFORE  GOD. 
— 2  Cor.  12  :  19. 

9.  CHRISTIAN    TESTIMONY.  —  Ps.   40:10;    51:15;    63:3-5; 
119 :  171,  172  ;  Isa.  43 : 10 ;  Mai.  3  : 16,  17  ;  Heb.  3:13;  Jas.  5:6; 
Matt.  10  :  32,  33  ;    John    12  :  42  ;  i   Cor.  1:5;    2  Cor.  8:7  ;  Rom. 
10 :  9,  10. 

— Rev.  W.  F.  Crafts. 


CHAPTER    XI. 
A  PLAN  FOR  EACH  MEETING. 

Those  meetings  will  prove  the  most  refreshing  and 
successful  for  which  both  pastor  and  people  have 
made  suitable  preparation.  And  just  how  to  make 
the  meetings  successful  has  been  one  of  the  important 
subjects  which  the  ministerial  conventions  held  in 
connection  with  the  revival  labors  of  Mr.  Moody  and 
Major  Whittle  have  discussed.  As  a  result,  the 
attention  of  all  the  churches  has  been  aroused  to  the 
importance  of  the  subject,  and  the  matter  has  been 
somewhat  agitated  by  the  religious  press.  And  the 
answer  to  the  whole  matter  is  this :  if  we  are  to  have 
successful  prayer-meetings  we  must  pray,  work,  and 
plan  for  them — in  a  word  have  an  intelligent  plan  for 
each  meeting. 

"  We  published  last  week,"  says  the  Interior^ 
"  some  pertinent  suggestions  by  a  contributor  as 
helps  to  prayer-meeting  interest.  We  notice  decided 
progress  in  the  attention  everywhere  given  to  the 
question  how  to  make  meetings  for  prayer  more  in- 


94  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

teresting.  And  pastors  and  churches  are  beginning 
to  plan  for  these  meetings  as  they  do  for  the  Sunday- 
school  service  or  for  the  Week  of  Prayer.  People 
used  to  have  an  indefinite  sort  of  idea  that  a  prayer- 
meeting  was  self-propelling.  In  some  quarters  there 
has  been  a  shrinking  from  studying  and  planning  for 
that  meeting,  as  if  it  implied  some  lack  of  reliance  on 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Just  so  the  ranters  used  to  decry 
pulpit  preparation,  relying  instead  on  the  direct 
operation  of  the  Spirit.  Such  blind  reliance  spoils 
the  sermon. 

"  We  are  learning  in  all  church  work,  he  honors 
God  most  who  is  most  diligent  in  the  use  of  all  means 
that  tend  to  success.  Therefore,  let  every  method  be 
tried  by  which  the  vitality  and  power  of  the  prayer- 
meeting  may  be  secured.  Let  us  not  be  afraid  of 
having  a  little  well-planned  machinery,  even  in  a 
prayer-meeting.  The  idea  that  no  prayer-meeting  is 
good  which  is  not  voluntary  and  extemporaneous  in 
the  character  of  its  exercises,  should  be  discarded. 
When  all  hearts  are  full  and  minds  alert,  it  will  be 
sufficient  to  throw  the  meeting  "  open,"  though  even 
then  there  is  always  the  hazard  that  it  may  be  spoiled 
by  the  very  freedom  which  sometimes  leads  to  high- 
est success. 

"  But  the  responsibility  for  the  praver-meeting  and 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  95 

its  right  conduct  by  no  means  rests  with  ministers 
alone.  If  every  church  member  would  hold  his  duty 
to  be  at  the  prayer-meeting  to  be  as  sacred  as  his 
business  engagements,  and  being  at  the  meeting, 
would  refuse  to  be  merely  a  sponge  to  absorb,  but 
would  communicate  according  to  the  gift  that  was  in 
him,  the  complaint  about  dry  meetings  would  cease, 
and  the  hour  of  prayer  be,  as  it  should  be,  the  most 
delightful  of  all  the  week." 

But,  perhaps  the  chief  points  which  a  definite  plan 
should  include  relate  to  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
prayer,  remarks,  singing,  voluntary  parts,  and  the 
length  of  the  meeting. 

i.  Reading  the  Scriptures.  The  portion  to  be 
read  for  the  evening  lesson  should  be  selected  with 
care,  and  especial  reference  to  the  illustration  of  the 
evening's  subject.  It  is  very  desirable  that  the 
people  should  follow  the  reading  from  their  own 
Bibles,  and  in  this  way  get  into  full  sympathy  with 
the  truth  to  be  presented  as  early  as  possible.  It  is 
often  the  case  that  a  meeting  does  not  fully  wake  up 
until  it  is  about  time  to  be  dismissed  ;  and  so  it  has 
been  remarked,  If  we  could  only  begin  the  next 
meeting  in  the  spirit  and  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
this  one  closed,  we  should  all  be  ready  to  sing,  speak 
and  pray.  Do  not  slight  the  reading.  The  eloquent 


96  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

McAll  is  reported  to  have  said :  "  If  the  Lord  had 
appointed  two  officers  in  His  church,  the  one  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  the  other  to  read  the 
Scriptures,  and  had  given  me  the  choice  of  these, 
I  should  have  chosen  to  be  a  reader  of  the  inspired 
Word  of  God."  And  in  point  of  fact  there  is  no 
part  of  any  religious  service  that  can  be  slighted 
with  safety.  We  ought  to  feel  that  one  part  is  as 
important  as  another,  and  that  God  can  bless  even 
the  minutest  particular  to  the  conversion  and  edifica- 
tion of  souls.  A  venerable  minister  testified  in  a 
clergyman's  meeting  that  one  of  the  most  powerful 
impressions  produced  on  his  early  life  was  made  by 
Asahel  Nettleton,  the  noted  revivalist,  in  his  reading 
the  hymn, 

"  Ashamed  of  Jesus !  that  dear  Friend 
On  whom  my  hopes  of  heaven  depend." 

The  truths  of  that  hymn  went  home  to  his  heart 
as  nothing  in  his  sermon  did.  He  looked  back  over 
fifty  years  of  service  to  thank  God  that  one  clergy- 
man had  felt  that  the  reading  of  the  hymn  was  the 
great  thing  in  the  service — while  the  hymn  'was  being 
read. 

2.  It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  these  meet- 
ings are  meetings  for  prayer  ;  and  hence,  undue 
importance  should  not  be  given  to  speaking,  nor 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  97 

should  the  remarks  be  suffered  to  monopolize  the 
order  of  exercises.  Prayers  should  be  brief,  pointed 
and  fervent.  The  Bible  contains  over  a  hundred 
prayers,  and  these  as  having  been  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost  should  be  our  models.  There  are  only 
two  or  three  prayers  in  the  Bible  that  run  up  to  five 
minutes;  of  the  rest,  many  of  them  are  so  brief  as  to 
have  been  uttered  in  a  single  breath.  When  Peter 
was  sinking  amid  the  angry  waves,  he  did  not  have 
time  for  a  general  introduction  and  an  eloquent  per- 
oration. No!  he  had  barely  time  to  cry  out,  with 
intensity  of  purpose  and  need,  "  Lord,  save  me!" 
Had  he  taken  more  time  the  waves  had  swallowed 
him,  and  himself  had  been  past  all  praying.  It  is 
said  that  a  minister  over  a  certain  charge  in  the  East 
found  one  of  his  prayer-meetings  characterized  by 
delay  and  formalism,  and  so  to  remedy  this,  he  took 
out  his  watch  and  said,  "  Brethren,  let  us  have  sixty 
prayers  in  sixty  minutes."  He  got  them,  and  that 
meeting  came  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant meetings  that  that  church  had  ever  held. 

And  thus  the  element  of -time  becomes  very  im- 
portant. The  interest  and  success  of  the  meeting, 
the  number  that  can  take  part,  and  variety  in  the 
exercises  themselves,  will  all  depend  upon  the  num- 
ber of  minutes  that  each  participant  consumes.  "  In 


98  THE  PRAYER-MEETING. 

the  great  noonday  prayer-meetings,  whose  interest 
and  influence  are  unsurpassed,  this  is  reckoned  so 
important,  that  none  are  allowed  to  occupy  more 
than  three  or  five  minutes.  What  is  said  should  come 
from  the  heart  in  earnest,  telling  words.  Lengthy 
exhortations  are  not  effective,  except  in  special  cases. 
A  leaf  from  the  day's  or  week's  experience,  new 
light  that  has  been  shed  upon  some  passage  of  God's 
Word,  the  expression  of  a  burden  or  a  request — some 
of  these  things  that  lie  nearest  and  freshest  in  our 
hearts,  we  may  be  sure  will  add  much  to  the  interest 
and  success  of  the  prayer-meeting  ;  but  beyond  that, 
we  need  to  have  the  way  pointed  out  very  clearly  if 
we  go.  If  we  make  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  time, 
let  it  be  on  the  side  of  brevity." 

At  the  opening  of  the  meeting  it  would  be  very 
appropriate  to  have  a  few  brief  prayers,  with  especial 
supplications  for  the  increased  manifestations  of  the 
Spirit's  presence  and  power.  "  Nothing  can  make 
up  for  His  absence.  But  if  He  be  there  (and  no  one 
is  more  ready  to  come)  there  is  no  estimating  the 
good  every  church  may  do  in  its  weekly  prayer- 
meetings,  do  they  but  act  up  to  their  duty  and  their 
privilege." 

We  have  already  indicated  in  Chapter  III.  how 
subjects  of  special  prayer  may  be  discovered  for  each 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  99 

meeting.  As  you  visit  your  people,  carry  the  inter- 
est of  the  prayer-meeting  with  you,  and  be  alert  to 
discover  the  spiritual  wants  of  your  people  that  are 
just  then  most  urgent;  and  formulate  these  into  ap- 
propriate requests  for  prayer,  and  either  before  or  at 
the  time  of  the  meeting,  and  in  connection  with  any 
written  requests  for  prayer  that  may  have  been 
handed  in,  ask  some  one  to  pray  for  each  particular 
case;  to  the  end  that  precious  and  useful  lives  may  be 
spared,  that  the  erring  may  be  restored,  that  the 
tempted  may  be  victorious,  tliat  the  youth  of  the 
church  may  be  led  to  Christ,  that  unconverted  ones 
may  find  their  Saviour,  that  "  weak  hands  and  feeble 
knees "  may  be  confirmed,  and  that  grace  and 
strength  may  be  imparted  to  each  and  to  all  for  the 
systematic  growth  in  grace  of  the  whole  church,  and 
to  the  glory  of  God.  "  Pray  for  one  another." 

3.  Remarks.  Let  us  suppose  that  you  have  ar- 
ranged a  plan  for  the  next  meeting.  You  have 
given  out  the  subject,  or  it  is  already  known  from  the 
printed  list,  and  you  want  several  speakers.  Very 
well:  go  and  ask  those  you  want,  and  secure  their 
promise  to  be  on  hand  and  take  the  part  assigned 
them.  And  that  there  may  be  considerable  variety 
in  the  exercises,  \vould  it  not  be  well  to  select  two  or 
three  elderly  persons,  two  or  three  middle-aged,  and 


IOO  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

two  or  three  young  men,  if  you  require  that  number 
of  speakers  for  each  meeting  ?  In  this  way  all  classes 
will  be  represented,  and  due  prominence  given  to 
each.  And  especially  ought  converts  to  be  encour- 
aged to  openly  confess  and  acknowledge  Christ.  It 
is  a  critical  period  with  them;  if  they  now  come  in 
to  be  silent  members,  the  longer  they  continue  silent, 
the  more  difficult  it  will  be  for  them  to  speak  and 
pray  in  public.  At  this  time,  it  is  comparatively  easy 
for  them  to  take  part,  for  their  experience  is  new  and 
their  hearts  are  full. 

4.  Singing.  This  is  an  important  part  of  the 
exercises  in  the  successive  meetings.  Spiritual  sing- 
ing will  prove  half  of  the  whole  meeting  in'  the  way 
of  interest,  profit,  and  success.  The  hymns  should 
have  point  and  life,  and  such  organic  connection  with 
the  progressive  movement  of  the  meeting,  that  they 
shall  fit  into  their  place,  and  be  "  the  genuine  out- 
growth of  the  state  of  feeling  at  that  particular  point 
in  the  meeting."  Hence  the  hymns  cannot,  except 
in  a  general  way,  be  selected  in  advance  of  the  meet- 
ing. A  meeting  may  be  made  to  drag  and  prove 
tedious  by  the  singing  of  long  hymns,  lengthened  by 
a  chorus  to  each  verse.  Some  have  found  it  to  be  an 
excellent  rule  not  to  sing  more  than  two  or  three 
verses  at  a  time.  "  Let  us  think,"  says  Dr.  W.  M. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  IOI 

Taylor,  "  of  what  the  sacrifice  of  praise  is  designed  to 
do.  It  prepares  the  way  for  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  into  the  heart.  Bring  me  a  minstrel,  said 
Elisha,  and  while  listening  to  the  music,  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  came  down,  and  he  prophesied.  Very 
frequently,  through  the  music  of  the  song  of  praise, 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  His  glory  has  come  down  and 
filled  the  living  temple  of  the  human  heart.  I  heard 
the  beautiful  story  about  Toplady's  conversion.  He 
went  into  a  barn  in  Ireland,  where  he  heard  a  primi- 
tive Methodist  minister  preach  the  Gospel.  At  the 
close,  the  minister  gave  out  the  hymn,  '  Come  ye 
sinners,  poor  and  wretched.'  It  seemed  to  him  then 
that  the  whole  company  took  up  the  appeal  from  the 
minister's  lips,  and  instead  of  one  appeal  there  was 
that  of  hundreds.  Then  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ, 
and  nobly  did  he  honor  the  obligation  in  his  later 
life,  by  laying  on  the  altar  of  Christ  the  hymn  that 
we  are  so  fond  of — 

'  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee.' 

Then  again,  singing  sustains  the  heart  in  trial.  Very 
often  in  this  country  we  are  in  the  habit  of  serenad- 
ing our  great  men,  but  oh!  no  songs  in  the  ear  of 
God  are  like  the  sounds  which  go  up  from  the  hearts 


IO2  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

of  God's  children  in  the  night  of  trial.  He  comes 
forth  from  His  throne  to  speak  words  of  comfort  and 
cheer.  Then  again,  it  braces  the  heart  for  conflict. 
After  his  last  supper,  Christ  sang  an  hymn — the  Lord 
Jesus  sang,  and  sang  with  Gethsemane  in  view,  to 
brace  himself  up  for  conflict  with  the  prince  of  this 
world.  Who  does  not  know,  too,  how  Luther  strung 
himself  up  for  his  Reformation  work  by  that  noble 
version  of  the  forty-sixth  Psalm,  termed  the  Marseil- 
laise of  the  Reformation."  "  Let  the  word  of  Christ 
dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom;  teaching  and 
admonishing  one  another  in  psalms,  and  hymns,  and 
spiritual  songs,  singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to 
the  Lord."— Col.  3:  16. 

5.  Voluntary  parts.  It  will  be  wise  to  have  a 
place  in  every  meeting  for  voluntary  remarks.  It 
should  be  our  object  to  so  conduct  the  meetings  that 
eventually  all  its  parts  shall  become  voluntary ;  but  in 
the  meantime,  so  long  as  we  cannot  realize  that  in 
practice,  there  should  be  opportunity  for  every  one 
to  use  the  privilege.  There  may  be  strangers  pre- 
sent, and  these  should  be  invited  to  take  part;  or 
some  one  may  feel  that  he  has  something  especial  to 
say,  and  such  should  have  the  seasonable  opportunity 
in  which  to  say  it.  With  the  utmost  liberty  of  this 
kind,  no  reasonable  objection  can  be  urged  against 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  1 03 

the  selection  of  a  plan,  which  aims  to  obtain  continu- 
ous movement  in  the  parts  of  the  meeting,  and  unity 
and  progress  in  all  the  exercises.  "Let  everything 
be  done  decently  and  in  order." 

6.  Length  of  meetings.  Uniform  experience  has 
limited  the  meeting  to  an  "  hour  of  prayer."  Open 
and  dismiss  promptly.  Do  not  wait  for  the  people  to 
come.  Open  promptly,  even  if  you  are  the  only  one 
there,  and  if  no  one  else  should  come,  why,  as  Spur- 
geon  says,  "  have  it  all  to  yourself;  and  if  you  are 
asked  how  many  were  present,  you  can  say,  '  Four.' 
'Four!  how  so?'  'Why,  there  was  myself,  and 
God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy 
Ghost;  and  we  had  a  rich  and  a  real  communion 
together."  And  also  be  as  prompt  in  dismissing  as  in 
opening;  so  that  the  people  may  know  just  what  to 
expect,  and  how  to  govern  their  engagements  of 
friendship  and  business.  If  there  is  to  be  any  varia- 
tion, let  it  be  in  favor  of  a  shorter  rather  than  a  longer 
session.  Send  the  people  away  unwearied  and 
they  will  come  again. 

Is  it  not  evident,  that  such  animated  interest  as 
judicious  planning,  working  and  praying — the  united 
effort  of  pastor  and  people — would  create  in  behalf  of 
the  prayer-meeting,  would  at  once  place  and  keep  the 
church  on  a  revival  basis? 


CHAPTER     XII. 
VARIETY  IN  SUCCESSIVE  MEETINGS. 

Perhaps  one  reason  why  prayer-meetings  are  not 
more  largely  attended  and  enjoyed  is  found  in  their 
stereotype  character.  When  you  have  attended  one 
prayer-meeting  of  the  church,  you  can  tell  what  the 
rest  will  be  like;  for  you  have  only  to  multiply  by 
fifty-two  in  order  to  get  the  result  for  a  whole  year. 
In  such  cases  it  might  be  well  to  relieve  the 
monotony  and  introduce  greater  variety  by  means  of 
a  change  in  the  successive  meetings.  And  with  this 
end  in  view  it  might  not  be  inexpedient  to  leave  the 
people  in  doubt-  about  the  precise  nature  of  the  next 
meeting  as  to  its  plan,  that  thus  they  may  come  to 
it  in  a  state  of  expectation.  Variety  in  this  respect 
might  do  much  to  sustain  an  interest  in  the  meetings 
from  week  to  week,  and  make  them  more  generally 
attractive.  Happy  is  he  who  both  excites  an  interest 
and  rewards  it. 

The  continued  interest  in  the  temperance  reform, 
which,  like  a  tidal  wave,  is  sweeping  over  the  land,  is 
due,  first  to  the  subject,  and  next  to  the  method  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  IO5 

leaders  have  adopted  of  introducing  new  speakers  at 
each  meeting,  and  having  as  a  rule  short  speeches 
from  each.  Although  it  is  the  same  subject,  yet  the 
new  speakers  that  are  constantly  coming  forward 
give  novelty  and  freshness  to  the  theme  by  their 
varied  experiences  while  under  the  power  of  drink 
and  its  terrible  temptations;  and  in  their  confessions 
and  aspirations  for  a  better  life,  they  call  for  sympathy 
and  help.  Truth  is  stranger  than  fiction,  and  noth- 
ing is  more  interesting  than  life  in  its  struggles, 
defeats  and  victories.  We  might  learn  a  valuable 
lesson  from  their  methods  for  the  conduct  of  our 
prayer-meetings. 

Let  us  then  enumerate  some  methods  of  variety  for 
the  conduct  of  successive  meetings,  that  from  these 
such  selection  may  be  made  as  circumstances  require 
and  the  topics  themselves  will  permit. 

1.  Conduct  the  meeting  in  the  usual  way,  and 
make  as  much  as  possible  out  of  a  method  endeared 
by  practice,  and  rendered  valuable  by  the  associations 
of  the  past. 

2.  Let  the  next  meeting  be  conducted  as  a  Bible 
Reading  on  some  absorbing  theme  of  life  and  doc- 
trine.    It  will  be  necessary  for  the  leader  to  carefully 
collect  and  classify  all  the  passages  of  Scripture  bear- 
ing upon  the  chosen  subject  and  then  assign  the  texts 

8 


IO6  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

to  the  members,  that  they  may  be  read  in  the  order 
in  which  they  have  been  numbered.  The  leader 
must  secure  a  rapid  movement  for  the  readings  and 
connect  them  by  such  remarks  and  anecdotes  as  will 
illustrate  their  application  and  teaching.  At  proper 
places  prayer  and  song  may  be  introduced,  that  thus 
the  whole  may  be  joined  together  and  have  unity  and 
power. 

3.  Variety  may  still    further    be  secured    by  the 
announcement    that  the  next  meeting  will  be    con- 
ducted on  the  voluntary  plan.     The   topic   should   be 
announced,  however,  as  nothing  would  be  gained  by 
leaving  this  an  open  issue.     It  may  be  stated,  then, 
that  on  next  week  everything  from  first  to  last  shall 
be  voluntary,  as  "  the  Spirit  may  give  utterance  "  and 
direction;  and  in  connection  with  this,  all  should  be 
urged  to  come  with  the  desire  and  the  expectation  of 
taking  part.      Urge  some  to  come  with  passages  of 
Scripture,  or  verses  from  devotional  hymns,  to  read  or 
recite  at  a  moment  when  there  is  danger  of  a  "  long 
pause,"  and  in  this  way  the  meeting  will  prove  as 
profitable  and  interesting  as  any  that  might  be  more 
carefully  arranged  for. 

4.  After    the    voluntary    plan    has    been  tried,  it 
might  be  well  to    go  to  the  other  extreme  and    ar- 
range   for    everything    so    far    as    designating    the 
speakers  and  those  who  are  to  pray  are  concerned. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETIING. 

The  remarks  should  be  directed  to  the  topic,  and 
those  asked  to  pray  should  be  requested  to  pray  with 
special  reference  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  church, 
for  the  pastor,  for  the  Sunday  school,  for  the  prayer- 
meeting,  for  the  sick,  for  the  afflicted,  for  the  tried 
and  tempted,  and  such  other  and  kindred  themes 
as  the  changing  and  growing  needs  of  a  community 
would  be  continually  suggesting.  Of  course,  it  is  un- 
derstood that  the  remarks  and  prayers  are  to  be 
extempore  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  In  all  our  proceedings  we  should  seek  the 
presence  of  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  teaching 
and  illuminating  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"  I  need  Thee  every  hour : 

Teach  me  Thy  will ; 
And  Thy  rich  promises 
In  me  fulfill." 

The  prayer-meeting  is  not  a  debating  society,  but 
a  meeting  of  the  household  of  Christ,  gathered  for 
mutual  sympathy,  reciprocal  Christian  love,  and  the 
formation  of  a  noble  character. 

5.  In  some  churches  it  might  not  be  amiss  to  con- 
duct a  meeting  occasionally  in  which  the  reading  of 
essays  and  correspondence  shall  take  the  place  of  set 
remarks  and  exhortations.  The  best  time  for  such  an 
order,  would  be  the  evening  set  apart  to  the  "Monthly 
Concert,"  when  a  missionary  topic  is  under  consid- 
eration. It  would  not  be  difficult,  perhaps,  to  secure 


IO8  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

correspondence  from  missionaries  in  foreign  and 
home  fields,  letters  from  members  that  are  traveling 
at  home  or  abroad,  and  from  former  pastors  and 
members  who  have  gone  to  other  churches  ;  these 
would  doubtless  be  glad  to  send  their  greetings  and 
stir  up  the  pure  minds  of  the  brethren  to  greater 
zeal  and  activity,  and  such  a  method  as  this  is  entirely 
Scriptural ;  for  Paul  concludes  his  first  letter  to  the 
"  Thessalonians  "  in  these  words : — "  I  charge  you 
by  the  Lord  that  this  epistle  be  read  unto  all  the  holy 
brethren."  See  also  Col.  4:  16. 

And  in  addition  to  one  or  two  letters  that  might  be 
secured  in  this  way,  members  of  the  church — and  the 
lady  members  more  particularly — might  be  asked  to 
prepare  papers  on  the  particular  topic,  to  set  forth  the 
extent  of  the  work  in  the  particular  field  under  view, 
the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people,  their  social 
religious  and  political  life,  helps  and  hindrances  to  the 
spread  of  the  Gospel  among  them,  their  present 
urgent  need,  and  other  related  themes.  The  prepar- 
ation for  a  meeting  of  this  kind  would  tend  to  pro- 
mote the  reading  of  history,  develop  a  valuable  liter- 
ary taste  and  lay  the  foundation  for  intellectual  culture. 

6.  A  change  of  leaders  has  been  tried  in  some 
churches  with  good  results.  Such  method  will  de- 
velop the  lay  talent  in  a  church,  make  them  feel  that 
the  prayer-meeting  is  their  meeting,  and  that  they  are 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

responsible  for  its  success,  as  well  as  create  a  confi- 
dence in  their  ability  to  conduct  a  good  meeting.  It 
will  prevent  the  prayer-meeting  from  collapsing  in 
case  the  church  is  without  a  pastor,  or  in  case  the 
pastor  is  absent  on  duties  connected  with  his  denomi- 
nation, or  the  church  at  large.  It  will  also  serve  to 
run  the  prayer-meeting  successfully  through  the 
pastor's  vacation;  for  unless  the  interest  is  kept  up 
continuously,  the  church  too  will  take  a  vacation,  and 
when  the  pastor  returns  he  will  discover  that  his 
church  has  not  been  growing  in  grace,  but  the  rather 
losing  ground  under  the  inroads  of  a  worldly  spirit. 

7.  Lastly,  such  special  services  as  New  Year's, 
Praise,  Promise  and  Memorial-meetings  may  be  pro- 
vided for  in  their  appropriate  season. 

But  whatever  be  the  method,  whether  the  same 
plan  is  continuously  followed  or  such  variety  is  intro- 
duced as  this  chapter  contemplates,  there  is  no  plan 
in  itself  that  will  guarantee  success.  That  will  depend 
upon  spiritual  conditions,  and  the  time,  prayer,  study 
and  effort  which  the  leader  shall  give  to  the  execution 
of  the  plan,  and  such  enthusiasm  for  his  plans  as  he 
may  be  able  to  awaken  in  his  people.  "  Study  to 
show  thyself  approved  unto  God,  a  workman  that 
needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word 
of  truth." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  PRAYER-MEETING. 

It  is  as  important  for  the  church  in  its  collective 
capacity,  to  sustain  the  prayer-meeting,  as  it  is  for  the 
individual  believer  to  keep  up  his  secret  devotions. 
The  Christian  cannot  grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ; 
in  spirituality  and  in  power,  without  daily  com- 
munion with  God  in  prayer.  This  is  the  experience 
of  both  laymen  and  preachers.  "  Whenever  a 
Christian  backslides,"  says  Spurgeon,  "his  wandering 
commences  in  his  closet.  I  speak  what  I  have  felt. 
I  have  often  gone  back  from  God — never  so  as  to  fall 
finally,  I  know,  but  I  have  often  lost  that  savor  of 
His  love  which  I  once  enjoyed.  I  have  had  to  cry, 

'Those  peaceful  hours  I  once  enjoyed, 

How  sweet  their  memory  still ! 
But  they  have  left  an  aching  void, 

The  world  can  never  fill.' 

"  I  have  gone  up  to  God's  house  to  preach,  without 
either  fire  or  energy;  I  have  read  the  Bible  and 
there  has  been  no  light  upon  it;  I  have  tried  to  have 
communion  with  God,  but  all  has  been  a  failure. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  Ill 

Shall  I  tell  where  that  commenced  ?  It  commenced 
in  my  closet.  I  had  ceased  in  a  measure  to  pray. 
Here  I  stand  and  do  confess  my  faults  ;  I  do 
acknowledge  that  whenever  I  depart  from  God  it  is 
there  it  doth  begin.  O,  Christians,  would  you  be 
happy  ?  Be  much  in  prayer.  Would  you  be 
victorious  ?  Be  much  in  prayer. 

'  Restraining  prayer,  we  cease  to  fight, 
Prayer  makes  the  Christian's  armor  bright.' 

"  Mrs.  Berry  used  to  say, '  I  would  not  be  hired  out 
of  my  closet  for  a  thousand  worlds.'  Mr.  Jay  said, 
'  If  the  twelve  apostles  were  living  near  you,  and  you 
had  access  to  them,  if  this  intercourse  drew  you  from 
the  closet,  they  would  prove  a  real  injury  to  your 
souls.'  Prayer  is  the  ship  which  bringeth  home  the 
richest  freight.  It  is  the  soil  which  yields  the  most 
abundant  harvest." 

Nor  can  churches  enjoy  any  great  measure  of 
success  in  saving  souls,  unless  they  are  praying 
churches.  Praying  churches  will  be  revival  churches 
— such  will  grow  and  prosper  spiritually  and 
temporally.  Would  you  have  a  successful  church; 
go  and  get  them  to  pray  ;  go  and  get  them 
to  cultivate  the  "  power  of  the  knees,"  not 
only  in  their  closets,  but  in  their  prayer-meet- 
ings. "  Sirs,"  says  Spurgeon,  "  I  have  no  opinion 


112  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

of  the  churches  of  the  present  day  that  do 
not  pray.  I  go  from  chapel  to  chapel  in  this 
metropolis,  and  I  see  pretty  good  congregations  :  but 
I  go  to  their  prayer-meetings  on  a  week  evening,  and 
I  see  a  dozen  persons.  Can  God  bless  us,  can  He 
pour  out  His  Spirit  upon  us,  while  such  things  as 
these  exist  ?  He  could,  but  it  would  not  be  accord- 
ing to  the  order  of  His  dispensations,  for  he  says, 
'  When  Zion  travails  she  brings  forth  children.'  Go 
to  your  churches  and  chapels  with  this  thought,  that 
you  want  more  prayer.  Go  home  and  say  to  your 
minister,  '  Sir,  we  must  have  more  prayer.'  We 
must  have  an  outpouring  of  real  devotion,  or  else 
what  is  to  become  of  many  of  our  churches  ?  O  ! 
may  God  awaken  us  all,  and  stir  us  up  to  pray,  for 
when  we  pray  we  shall  be  victorious.  I  should  like 
to  take  you  this  morning  as  Samson  did  the  foxes, 
tie  the  firebrands  of  prayer  to  you,  and  send  you  in 
among  the  shocks  of  corn  till  you  burn  the  whole 
up.  I  should  like  to  make  a  conflagration  by  my 
words,  and  set  all  the  churches  on  fire,  till  the  whole 
has  smoked  like  a  sacrifice  up  to  God's  throne." 

And  the  reason  for  this  is  evident.  The  Spirit 
is  present  with  the  believer  as  an  unseen  presence; 
"  foi  he  dwelleth  with  you  and  shall  be  in  you." 
The  Spirit  is  given  by  measure  to  the  believer 
according  to  the  extent  that  the  manifestation  of  His 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  113 

presence  and  power  has  been  sought  in  prayer.  To 
the  Son  God  gave  not  His  Spirit  by  measure,  but 
the  Spirit  abode  with  him  in  His  infinite  fulness. 
With  men,  however,  He  dwells  to  the  extent  of  their 
earnest  seeking  and  finite  capacity.  As  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  already  with  the  believer,  His  presence 
with  an  assembly  or  a  prayer-meeting  must  mean  that 
each  one  receives  a  larger  portion  of  the  Spirit,  so 
that  His  presence  is  with  power  and  demonstration. 
Beneath  this  divine  outpoural  all  hearts  melt,  and  they 
feel,  with  Jacob  of  old,  "  How  dreadful  is  this  place  ! 
this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  the 
gate  of  heaven."  It  was  after  the  apostles  had  con- 
tinued with  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication, 
that  the  day  of  Pentecost  came  with  open  manifesta- 
tions of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  power.  The  Spirit 
is  poured  out  upon  the  assembly  either  visibly  as 
at  Penetcost  (Acts  2 :  33),  or  manifestly  and  feelingly 
as  at  a  subsequent  time,  when  "  the  disciples  had 
prayed,  the  place  was  shaken  where  they  were,  and 
they  were  all  Jilled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  they 
spake  the  word  of  God  with  boldness"  (Acts  4:  31). 

We  have  all  doubtless  attended  meetings  where  we 
felt  the  Spirit  to  be  present  with  power  and  demon- 
stration, that  is,  when  He  was  poured  out  upon  the 
assembly  in  their  collective  capacity,  and  in  answer  to 
prayer,  (Luke  11:9-13),  was  present  to  convict, 


114  THE  PRAYER-MEETING. 

convert  and  regenerate.  In  the  revival  meeetings 
held  here  last  year,  Major  Whittle  related  an  incident 
to  illustrate  this,  which  he  had  gathered  from  reliable 
sources  in  Kentucky.  He  was  told  that  Tom 
Marshall  when  a  student  at  college  was  present  at  a 
revival  meeting,  but  at  a  certain  stage  got  up  and 
hastily  left  the  room;  for  he  felt,  as  he  afterwards 
confessed,  that  he  could  not  much  longer  have  held 
out  against  the  influence  of  the  meeting.  He  was 
unwilling  to  give  his  heart  to  Christ,  for  he  seemed 
convinced  if  he  became  a  Christian,  it  would  become 
his  duty  to  relinquish  his  cherished  profession,  and 
become  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  Now  where  the 
church,  through  lack  of  prayer  and  consecration,  is 
cold  or  lukewarm,  or  formal  and  indifferent,  one  is 
not  oppressed  and  burdened  with  such  convictions  of 
duty,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  not  poured  out  upon  them, 
and  there  is  no  increased  manifestation  of  His  presence 
and  power.  Piety  will  rise  no  higher  in  the  church 
than  it  rises  in  the  prayer-meeting.  "  I  would  not 
unite  with  a  certain  church,"  said  a  certain  man, 
"  because  I  know  its  members." 

Nor  can  the  importance  of  the  prayer-meeting  to 
the  church  and  the  community  at  large  be  over-esti- 
mated. Heat  up  the  prayer-meeting  and  the  fires 
of  secret  devotion  will  burn  more  brightly.  Heat  up 
the  prayer-meeting  and  you  will  heat  up  the  pulpit. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  115 

Ministers  will  preach  with  power  when  they  have  a 
praying  church.  "  O !  "  said  Spurgeon,  "  had  you 
seen  an  apostolic  church,  what  a  different  thing  it 
would  appear  to  one  of  our  churches!  as  different,  I 
had  almost  said,  as  light  from  darkness;  as  different 
as  the  shallow  brook  that  is  dried  by  summer  is  from 
the  mighty  rolling  river,  ever  full,  ever  deep  and 
clear,  and  ever  rushing  into  the  sea.  Now,  where  is 
our  prayerfulness  compared  with  theirs;  I  trust  that 
we  know  something  of  the  power  of  prayer  here,  but 
I  do  not  think  we  pray  as  they  did!  They  broke 
bread  from  house  to  house,  and  did  eat  their  meat 
with  singleness  of  heart,  giving  glory  to  God. 
There  was  not  a  member  of  the  church,  as  a 
rule,  who  was  half-hearted  ;  they  gave  their 
souls  wholly  to  God  ;  and,  when  Ananias  and 
Sapphira  divided  the  price,  they  were  smitten 
with  death  for  their  sin.  O  !  if  we  prayed 
as  deeply  and  as  earnestly  as  they  did,  we  should 
have  as  much  success.  Any  measure  of  success  we 
may  have  had  here  has  been  entirely  owing,  under 
God,  to  your  prayers  ;  and  wherever  I  have  gone,  I 
have  boasted  that  I  have  a  praying  people.  Let 
other  ministers  have  as  prayerful  a  people ;  let  mis- 
sionaries have  as  many  prayers  from  the  Church; 
and,  all  things  being  equal,  God  will  bless  them,  and 
there  will  be  greater  prosperity  than  ever." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
How  TO  MAKE  PRAYER-MEETINGS  INTERESTING. 

Not  the  least  of  the  services  which  Mr.  Moody  and 
his  co-laborers  have  rendered  to  the  evangelism  of  to- 
day is  the  attention  they  have  called  to  the  conduct  of 
the  prayer-meeting,  and  how  to  make  them  interest- 
ing. Mr.  Moody  is  well  qualified  to  speak  on  this 
subject,  inasmuch  as  his  experience  now  covers  nearly 
twenty  years  of  service,  in  connection  with  the  great 
noonday  prayer-meetings  of  Chicago  and  his  own 
church  there,  as  well  as,  since  leaving  Chicago,  with 
Christian  workers  in  England  and  America.  His 
views  should  be  attentively  considered.  This  chapter, 
then,  is  a  transcript  of  his  talks  on  the  prayer-meeting, 
in  answer  to  questions  put  to  him  in  the  "  Ministe- 
rial Conventions,"  which  were  held  in  New  York 
City  in  1876,  and  in  Boston  in  1877. 

I.  THE  NEW  YORK  CONVENTION. 

I  think  this  is  one  of  the  most  important^  questions  which  can 
come  before  us.  I  believe  more  ministers  fail  right  here  than  in  any 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  117 

other  place.  Where  one  fails  in  a  pulpit,  I  believe  fifty  fail  in  the 
prayer-meeting.  I  have  noticed  as  I  have  been  traveling  up  and 
down  the  country,  and  mingling  with  a  great  many  ministers,  that 
it  is  not  the  man  that  preaches  the  best  that  is  most  successful.  You 
must  get  the  people  to  pray. 

It  is  so  much  easier  to  preach  to  an  audience  who  are  praying  for 
you  than  to  those  who  are  criticising  you  all  the  while.  Now  I  find 
it  a  great  help  in  a  prayer-meeting  to  get  the  people  close  together  ; 
if  they  won't  come,  I  would  take  the  chair  and  walk  down  amongst 
them.  Then  another  important  thing  is  to  see  that  the  ventilation 
is  all  right.  A  good  many  meetings  are  held  in  basements  and 
small  rooms,  where  there  is  no  ventilation,  where  the  windows, 
perhaps,  won't  be  opened  through  the  winter ;  where  people  get 
sleepy,  and  you  think  it  is  your  fault.  See  that  it  is  not  too  hot  or 
too  cold,  and  that  the  air  is  pure.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  a 
subject,  suppose  "faith,"  or  "love,"  and  let  people  know  it  a 
week  before.  Let  the  minister  not  always  lead,  for  then  when  he 
goes  off'  there  is  a  collapse.  If  he  manages  right,  it  seems  ti  me,  he 
would  get  different  leaders,  so  that  when  he  goes  oft  there  will  be 
no  falling  away.  You  may  ask  what  we  are  going  to  do  with  those 
men  who  talk  so  long.  Well,  I  would  see  them  privately,  and  say, 
"Now,  try  to  be  a  little  shorter."  It  would  be  a  good  thing, 
however,  if  the  ministers  would  show  a  good  example.  They  very 
often  leave  just  fifteen  minutes  for  the  meeting,  and  complain  of 
Deacon  Jones  taking  up  the  rest  of  the  time.  They  say  everything 
they  can  think  of  on  the  chapter,  and  wonder  why  "  the  poor  lay- 
men won't  take  it  up."  Why,  if  they  say  everything  they  can 
think  of  on  a  certain  chapter,  there  is  not  much  chance  for  a  poor 
layman,  especially  if  he  don't  know  what  the  chapter  is  to  be.  If 
a  man  takes  part  in  a  meeting,  he  has  got  a  little  more  interest  in  it. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  what  the  old  deacon  said,  that  he 
always  liked  the  meeting  when  he  took  part,  and  he  didn't  care  for 
it  when  he  didn'  t  take  part. 

A  delegate  observed  that  the  Congregational  churches  in  New 
England  had  a  rule  that  the  minister  should  lead  the  prayer-meetings, 
for  this  reason  :  that  it  was  found  when  ministers  took  the  place  of 


Il8  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

laymen  in  this  matter,  the  latter  took  the  leadership  out  of  his 
hands.  He  asked  Mr.  Moody  what  he  would  do  to  prevent  that. 
Mr.  Moody  replied  that  this  was  not  his  experience  on  the  subject. 
Dr.  Kirk,  of  Boston,  of  whose  church  he  was  a  member  twenty 
years  ago,  very  seldom  led  the  meeting ;  neither  did  Dr.  Cuyler 
usually  lead  in  his  own  church  prayer-meeting  in  Brooklyn. 

Q.  Ought  the  minister  to  call  on  people  to  pray  and  speak  ?  A. 
My  theory  is  one  and  my  practice  another.  I  have*.always  advo- 
cated open  prayer-meetings,  but  very  often  people  get  up  whom  we 
know  nothing  about,  and  talk  too  long,  so  I  have  lately  to  put  the 
meeting  in  the  hands  of  those  on  the  platform. 

Q.  Is  it  right  to  call  on  a  man  to  pray  when  he  is  not  in  the 
spirit  of  prayer  ?  A.  He  should  be  in  the  spirit  of  prayer :  but 
that  is  one  of  the  things  which  makes  me  object  to  call  on  men  to 
pray. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  with  a  brother  who  prays  the  same 
prayer  over  and  over?  A.  I  should  see  him  privately  and  talk  to 
him  about  his  own  soul. 

Q.  Suppose  you  drive  him  away  ?  A.  Let  him  go.  Five  will 
come  and  take  his  place. 

Q.  Is  it  wise  to  adhere  to  a  series  of  topics  ?  A.  If  it  is  in  the 
way  throw  it  overboard  ;  don't  have  a  cast-iron  rule. 

Q.  Would  it  be  well  to  make  the  Sunday-school  lesson  the  sub- 
ject for  the  prayer-meeting  ?  A.  If  you  have  teachers'  meetings 
better  not.  If  you  have  not  teachers'  meetings  I  have  known  it  to 
work  pretty  well. 

Q.  Shall  the  women  take  part  in  our  church  prayer-meetings  ? 
A.  It  is  a  controverted  point.  Let  every  prayer-meeting  have  its 
own  way. 

Q.  What  about  ringing  the  bell  when  a  man  is  praying  ?  A.  If 
the  prayer  don't  go  any  further  than  his  own  head  I  would  have 
no  scruple  in  ringing  the  bell. 

II.     THE  BOSTON  CONVENTION. 

Q.  What  shall  we  do  with  the  awful  pauses  in  our  meetings  f 
A.  They  can  be  avoided,  I  think,  if  the  minister  is  free  and  social 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  I  IQ 

and  makes  every  one  feel  at  home.  These  pauses  are  just  the  times 
when  that  man  or  that  lady  who  is  not  in  the  habit  of  speaking,  can 
read  a  verse  from  God's  Word  which  they  have  found  precious  to 
their  souls.  In  this  way  they  can  gain  confidence  to  speak.  A 
good  many  people  have  an  idea  that  they  must  follow  the  minister 
and  preach  a  sort  of  sermon ;  but  a  word  from  the  Bible  often  car- 
ries great  comfort. 

Q.  Would  you  have  children  in  the  large  prayer-meetings  ?  A. 
Well,  there  is  danger  in  that.  One  great  danger  which  is  likely  to 
beset  children  is  spiritual  pride.  A  great  many  people  in  the 
church,  unfortunately,  are  foolish  enough  if  a  little  boy  speaks  for 
Christ  in  a  touching  way  to  praise  him  ;  and  that  makes  him  very 
proud.  I  should  not  like  to  have  my  child  praised  in  this  way. 
Children  learn  the  sweetness  of  praise  soon  enough  in  the  world.  I 
should  be  a  little  afraid  of  having  boys  and  girls  encouraged  to  jump 
up  in  the  large  prayer-meetings. 

Q.  Do  you  favor  boys'  prayer-meetings  ?  A.  By  all  means,  I 
have  found  no  meetings  more  blessed  in  the  work  of  conversion. 
The  boys  and  the  girls  should  meet  by  themselves  under  the  direc- 
tion of  some  older  person  of  experience  as  a  leader.  I  have  been 
very  much  interested  in  the  meetings  for  little  boys  conducted  here 
by  Mr.  Hastings. 

Q.  How  shall  we  get  women  to  speak  in  prayer-meetings  ?  A. 
Well,  if  the  meeting  is  free  and  social,  as  I  said,  I  don't  think  there 
will  be  any  who  are  afraid  to  speak.  There  are  two  ways  of  con- 
ducting a  prayer-meeting.  The  minister  may  enter  the  room  with 
his  coat  buttoned  up,  and  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  the  left, 
take  the  desk  and  either  go  through  the  reading  of  a  long  hymn  or 
make  a  long  prayer.  Of  course  a  meeting  begun  in  this  way  is  stiff 
and  formal,  and  there  will  be  no  sense  of  freedom.  Then  there  is 
another  way.  The  minister  may  enter  the  room  in  a  friendly  and 
social  way,  shaking  hands  with  everybody  and  saying  a  pleasant 
word  to  all,  and  perhaps  he  will  get  the  friends  to  select  the  opening 
hymn  or  ask  some  lady  to  read  a  passage  of  Scripture,  and  the 
meeting  will  be  begun  before  they  know  it.  If  everybody  would 
carry  the  Scriptures  to  the  meetings  there  would  be  no  trouble  in 
keeping  the  meetings  interesting. 


I2O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

Q.  Would  you  announce  a  subject  for  prayer  previous  to  the 
meeting  ?  A.  I  would.  It  has  been  done  in  our  church  in  Chi- 
cago, and  it  has  been  a  great  help  to  our  prayer-meetings.  We 
want  to  have  these  meetings  a  sort  of  family  gathering  where  a 
mother  who  has  a  son  out  of  Christ  can  bring  him  before  Jesus, 
and  the  whole  church  bear  up  her  petition  to  the  Lord.  United 
prayer  in  faith  that  God  will  answer  our  petitions  will  surely  bring 
back  the  blessing. 

Q.  Would  you  encourage  women  to  speak  ?  A.  In  a  social 
prayer-meeting  I  would  encourage  any  one  to  speak.  We  want  to 
get  all  Christians  at  work  in  the  service  of  Christ. 

Q.  Do  you  believe  in  having  different  ones  to  lead  the  meeting  ? 
A.  Well,  that  plan  has  been  tried.  Dr.  Cuyler  found  it  very  suc- 
cessful in  his  church  in  Brooklyn.  He  often  takes  a  seat  among 
the  congregation  while  the  leader  conducts  the  prayer-meeting. 
One  great  secret  of  success  is  to  get  others  to  work.  I  would 
rather  get  ten  men  to  work  than  do  ten  men' s  work  myself. 

Q.  How  ought  prayer-meetings  to  be  conducted  in  a  church 
without  a  pastor  ?  A.  With  as  much  earnestness  as  possible. 
Sometimes  God  blesses  specially  a  church  when  it  is  without  a  pas- 
tor because  they  trust  in  His  grace  and  not  in  any  arm  cf  flesh. 

Q.  How  would  you  break  up  the  habit  of  long  prayers  ?  A.  I 
think  ministers  need  find  no  trouble,  if  they  are  honest  with  their 
people.  They  like  real  plain  talk.  I  should  speak  to  a  man  mak- 
ing long  prayers  privately,  not  publicly,  and  say  to  him:  "Your 
prayers  need  a  little  more  unction,  they  are  too  long  for  the  meet- 
ing." Exhortation  ought  not  to  take  the  place  of  prayer,  but  it 
is  better  to  have  an  exhortation  than  a  prayerless  prayer.  That  is 
an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God  and  men.  Some  people  seem 
to  keep  on  praying  because  they  don' t  know  where  to  stop.  Let 
there  be  always  a  distinct  object  in  prayer.  I  have  been  dissatisfied 
at  some  of  the  men's  prayer-meetings  in  the  Tabernacle  because 
men  prayed  for  nothing  but  merely  exhorted.  The  other  night  a 
man  was  telling  God  how  great  he  was  and  how  wonderfully  he  had 
made  man ;  and  a  godly  old  saint  who  was  better  acquainted  with 
the  Lord  said,  "  Just  ask  him  for  something." 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  121 

Q.  Suppose  a  man  won't  heed  your  advice  to  make  prayer 
short  ?  A.  I  should  speak  to  him  again  and  again,  and  if  that 
did  not  bring  about  the  result,  I  would  rebuke  him  publicly.  I 
would  have  a  bell  at  the  meeting.  One  word — don' t  rely  on  your 
prayers,  but  on  Christ.  Always  remember  that  the  salvation  of 
Jesus  is  free,  and  that  all  may  have  it  by  simply  taking  it. 

Q.  When  do  you  consider  a  prayer  to  be  too  long  ?  A.  Well, 
if  the  prayer-meeting  is  "about  an  hour  long,  which  I  think  about 
the  proper  length,  it  certainly  can't  be  right  for  two  or  three  men  to 
take  up  the  time.  If  a  man  has  the  cause  of  the  Jews  on  his  heart 
let  him  pray  for  them  and  then  stop.  It  is  awful  to  open  one's 
eyes  and  see  that  a  man  is  teaching  his  own  views  or  criticising  the 
opinions  of  other  people  when  he  seems  to  be  praying.  It  chills  me 
right  through. 

Q.  What  would  you  do  if  a  man,  whose  piety  the  church  dis- 
trusts, attempts  to  speak  ?  A.  I  would  never  allow  him  to  speak. 
The  best  way  is  to  deal  fairly  and  squarely  with  people.  I  would 
rather  hurt  a  man's  feelings  than  to  have  the  Church  injured.  A 
man  who  pays  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar  when  he  could  pay  one 
hundred  cents  on  the  dollar  had  better  keep  still. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
UNIFORM    TOPICS. 

If  there  is  any  advantage  in  having  a  list  of  topics 
for  an  entire  year,  would  not  uniformity  in  all  the 
churches  secure  the  same  benefits  on  an  enlarged  scale  ? 
That  system  in  our  public  schools  which  takes  the 
scholar  from  the  "  Kindergarten  "  progressively  along 
until  he  graduates  in  the  "  High  School,"  is  wise  and 
economical.  The  main  fault  to  be  found  with  the 
American  scheme  of  education  is  this  that  it  does  not 
extend  far  enough.  It  would  be  an  advantage  to  have 
an  international  system  by  which  all  our  schools 
should  have  a  common  basis  and  run  parallel  with 
each  other  by  successive  steps  from  the  "  Kindergar- 
ten" to  the  University;  and  have  such  organic  con- 
nection that  a  student  would  require  no  change  in 
text-books  and  lose  no  rank  in  removing  from  Peoria 
to  Chicago,  or  from  New  York  to  Boston.  The 
Prussian  system  of  education  is  doubtless  more  com- 
prehensive than  our  own  in  this  respect,  and  it  is  well 
known  that  German  scholarship  is  thorough-going 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  123 

and  profound.  The  greater  efficiency  of  a  people, 
generally  and  systematically  educated,  over  one  less 
so,  was  well  illustrated  in  the  conduct  and  the  speedy 
termination  of  the  late  French-Prussian  war.  A  gun 
is  all  the  more  effective  for  being  held  and  controlled 
by  a  well-trained  mind.  The  rank  and  file  of  the 
Prussian  army  were  highly  educated,  and  prince  and 
peasant  stood  side  by  side  for  the  patriotic  defense  of 
their  fatherland. 

The  writer  expressed  his  views  on  this  subject  in  an 
article  that  was  published  in  the  Interior  a  year  ago, 
which  are  reproduced  at  this  place,  and  were  as 
follows:  The  fact  that  uniform  subjects  for  Sunday- 
school  study  have  been  adopted  in  nearly  all  the  Bible 
lands  of  the  world  shows  the  value  that  has  been  set 
upon  system.  Let  us  suppose  that  the  Bible  is  so 
divided  into  chapters  for  daily  reading,  and  verses  for 
the  thorough  and  systematic  study  of  all  the  facts 
of  the  Bible,  that  the  scholar  is  taken  through  the 
entire  Bible  once  in  seven  years.  Who  does  not  see 
the  advantage  of  such  method  in  study?  The  feeling 
that  all  Christians  the  world  over,  on  a  given  Sab- 
bath are  reading  and  studying  the  same  portion  of 
Scripture,  is  very  stimulating  and  significant.  And 
besides,  since  the  time  this  method  has  been  adopted 
there  has  been  a  growing  interest  given  to  Bible 


124  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

study.  It  has  stimulated  explorations  and  geographi- 
cal surveys  in  Palestine;  and  the  commentaries,  lesson- 
leaves,  maps  and  helps  of  one  kind  and  another  called 
into  circulation  by  it,  can  scarcely  be  over-estimated 
for  value  and  importance. 

Now,  then,  would  not  something  similar  be  bene- 
ficial for  the  prayer-meeting?  If  the  former  plan  for 
study  gives  us  the  facts  and  principles  of  religion,  why 
might  not  a  series  of  topics  be  selected  for  each  year 
that  shall  be  especially  adapted  to  the  needs  of  daily 
Christian  life,  to  Christian  nurture  and  doctrine?  In 
many  of  our  churches  the  Sunday-school  lesson  has 
been  used  as  the  topic  for  the  prayer-meeting.  That 
plan  has  some  advantages;  for  instruction  on  sys- 
tematic topics  is  far  preferable  to  subjects  selected  at 
random.  But  a  little  different  class  of  topics  would 
prove  more  suitable  for  the  prayer-meeting,  namely 
the  arrangement  of  Biblical  truth  with  reference  to 
daily  life  and  growth  in  grace.  Edification  implies 
system,  order  and  progress.  By  this  plan,  praise  and 
promise  meetings  and  special  occasions  might  be  suit- 
ably provided  for,  and  all  classes  of  Christians  sys- 
tematically edified.  (Eph.  4:12-16.)  This  would 
secure  unity  in  the  services  of  the  prayer- meeting  and 
give  opportunity  for  all  to  come  with  special  prayer 
and  preparation  with  reference  to  a  set  topic. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETIIXC.  125 

It  may  be  objected  that  by  a  plan  like  this  the 
special  needs  of  a  particular  congregation  at  a  partic- 
ular time  might  be  overlooked  and  neglected.  That 
is  true,  but  the  remedy  is  simple.  At  such  a  time 
omit  the  topic,  make,  your  own  selection,  annex 
appropriate  texts  of  Scripture,  and  give  notice  in  due 
time  that  the  change  has  been  made.  But  in  the 
long  run,  nothing  will  be  gained  by  making  religion 
spasmodic.  Nothing  will  more  establish  Christian 
life,  faith  and  doctrine,  than  faithful  induction  into  all 
the  great  Christian  truths  that  edify  the  body  of 
Christ.  Is  not  the  Bible  Reading  and  the  Bible 
Study  which  form  so  prominent  a  feature  of  the  great 
revival  of  our  day;  nay,  is  not,  in  part,  the  revival 
itself  under  the  Divine  blessing,  a  result  of  the 
increased  piety — prayer  and  work — which  the  uniform 
lessons  have  been  instrumental  in  promoting  in  the 
ranks  of  the  laity?  Would  not  the  adoption  of  uni- 
formity in  suitable  topics  for  the  prayer-meeting 
further  the  same  end  and  make  Christian  life  more 
and  more  like  the  shining  light  in  Prov.  4:18? 

And  in  this  connection  the  writer  will  add  an 
extract  from  an  article  "  On  Uniform  Topics  for  The 
Prayer-Meeting,"  which  was  furnished  the  Interior 
by  the  facile  pen  of  the  Rev.  John  Locke  Martin, 
and  is  as  follows :  "  The  heading  and  its  embodied 


126  THE  PRAYER-MEETING. 

idea  are  not  original  with  me,  but  I  would  like  to 
add  my  mite  of  a  word  to  help  along  this  idea  to  a 
practical  end.  I  have  seen  no  suggestion  of  late 
which  seems  so  promising  of  real  benefit  in  our 
church  work  as  this  one  of  a  uniform  series  of 
topics  for  the  prayer-meeting.  The  very  presenta- 
tion of  the  subject  should  be  sufficient  to  lead  to 
its  hearty  adoption,  for  it  has  every  thing  in  its 
favor.  I  know  not  whether  the  experience  is  gen- 
eral, but  find  it  to  be  the  case  with  all  with  whom  I 
have  conversed,  that  one  of  the  great  hindrances 
toward  making  the  prayer-meeting  a  success  is  a 
want  of  unity  in  the  services,  and  therefore  a  want  of 
special  prayer  and  preparation  on  the  part  of  the 
members.  To  simply  announce  from  the  pulpit  on 
Sabbath  the  subject  for  the  next  week-day  is  not 
enough.  Very  frequently  some  of  the  best  attend- 
ants at  the  prayer-meeting  are  absent  from  the  sanct- 
uary services,  and  so  miss  the  announcement.  But  if, 
like  the  Sabbath-school  lesson,  there  was  a  printed 
series  of  topics,  this,  out  of  many  objections  would  be 
avoided, — every  one  could  know  the  topic.  It  is 
beyond  question  that  the  uniform  system  of  Sabbath- 
school  lessons  has  been  a  great  help  and  blessing  in 
this  work.  By  this  means  we  have  reaped  the  benefit 
of  system,  which  is  the  key-note  of  all  successful 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  127 

work,  and  have  stimulated  a  degree  of  Bible  study 
never  known  before.  And  all  of  these  advantages 
would  accrue  to  the  prayer-meeting  if  such  a  system 
would  only  be  adopted  by  the  different  churches.  It  is 
simply  a  waste  of  writing  to  say  that  our  prayer- 
meetings  need  all  the  helpful  means  that  can  be 
secured;  for  have  not  their  dullness  and  coldness 
become  proverbial  ? " 

And  the  following  list  of  topics  is  another  com- 
mentary upon  the  article  in  whose  favor  Mr.  Martin 
wrote  with  such  choice  terms  of  approbation.  And 
here  just  a  word  of  explanation  may  be  proper. 
The  \vriter  was  invited  by  the  Rev.  M.  B.  Lowrie  to 
unite  with  him  "  in  getting  up  a  list  of  subjects  for 
the  coming  year  for  our  two  churches."  This  was 
accepted  with  the  understanding  that  other  churches 
should  be  asked  to  join  with  us.  A  list  was  then  pre- 
pared by  consultation,  and  in  its  present  form  is 
mainly  due  to  the  selection  of  the  Revs.  M.  B. 
Lowrie  and  J.  M.  Waddle.  A  copy  of  it  was  also 
published  in  the  Interior,  and  other  churches,  if  they 
saw  their  way  clear,  were  cordially  invited  to  unite 
with  us  in  its  use.  So  far  as  known  to  the  writer  this 
list  is  now  being  used  with  profit  and  acceptance  by 
the  following  churches:  Galesburg,  Rev.  M.  B. 
Lowrie,  pastor;  Kirkwood,  Rev.  E.  W.  Thompson; 


128  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

Knoxville,  Rev.  J.  M.  Waddle;  Lewistown,  Rev.  J. 
F.  Magill;  Mt.  Sterling,  Rev.  J.  G.  Lowrie;  Onarga, 
Rev.  W.  D.  Magner;  Peoria  Calvary  Mission,  Rev. 
John  Weston;  Peoria  Grace,  Rev.  H.  S.  Beavis;  and 
Peoria  Second,  Rev.  Lewis  O.  Thompson. 

TOPICS. 

Jan.       2.     Opening  of  the  year.     Ex.   13:  10 ;  Deut.   14:  22;  Ps. 

102  ;  24-28  ;  Deut.  32  :  7. 
"         9.     The  Sympathy  of  Jesus.     John  u. 
''       16.     Working  for  God  every  day.     Ps.  96:  2  ;  Heb.  3:  13  ; 

Matth.  21 :  28. 
"       23.     The  Work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     Zech.  12:  10  ;  Jno.  16  ; 

8-14;  Ro.  8:  16. 
"       30.     Prayer  for  Schools.     Is.  54  :  13  ;  Dan.  I  :  17  ;  Prov.  I : 

5  ;  Hos.  4:  6. 
Feb.     6.     Monthly  Concert.     China  and  the  Chinese  in  America- 

Ps.  2  :  8. 

"       13.     The  Helping  Hand.     Gal.  6:  i-io. 
"       20.     Sources  of  Christian  Life  and  Growth.     Acts   20:  32; 

John  15:4;   Deut.  8:3;!  Pet.  2  :  2. 
"      27.     Out    into     the    Highways.       Luke  14:   16-24;    Mark 

10 :  46. 

Mar.    6.     Monthly  Concert.     Mexico  and  N.  Mex.     Ps.  119:  130. 
"      13.     Why  Read  the  Bible?     Jno.   20 :  31  ;  2  Tim.  3:  15-17  ; 

i  Thes.  2:13;  I  Ki.  2 :  3. 
"       20.     How   to  Read  the  Bible.     Acts  17:  n;  Job  23  :  12  ; 

Jer.  15:  16. 

"       27.     Work  and  Wages.     Matth.  20  :  1-16. 
April    3.     Control    of    the    Tongue.      Jas.    1 :  26 ;     Jas.  3 :  5-13  ; 

Matth.  12  :  36  ;  Ps.  141 :  3. 
'«       10.     Monthly  Concert.     India.     Dan.  7 :  14. 

17.     Seed  Time.     EC.  II :  6;  Ps.  126:  6. 
"       24.     Psalm  34. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  1 29 

May      i.     Temperance.     Eph.    5:  18 ;  Ps.  94:  20. 
"         8.     Monthly  Concert.     Siam  and  Laos.     Ro.  10 :  14-15. 
"       15.     The  Believer's  Relation  to  Christ.     John  15:1-8;  Ro. 

8:  17;    Eph.  5:  30. 
"       22.     Personal  Religion.     Ps.  27:8;  Ps.   17:4-9;   i  Cor.  9 : 

27  ;  Ps.  39  :  i. 
"       29.     Family  Religion.     2  Samuel  6  :  20  ;  Gen.  18  :  19  ;  Josh. 

24: 15- 

June     5.     Monthly  Concert.     Africa.     Ps.  68 : 31. 
"       12.     Christ's   Love  for  his   Church.     Jno.  10:  n  ;    Eph.  5: 

25-26  ;  Eph.  4:  11-13. 

"       19.     Gospel  Manna.     Ex.  16  :  15;  Jno.  6  :  48  ;  Ps.  119:103. 
26.     Under  the  Juniper  Tree,     i  Kings  19:4;  Jer.  20 :  7-9  ; 

Ps.  73- 
July      3.     Christian    Patriotism,     i.  Sam.   12:20-25;    Deut.  17: 

18-20  ;  Ro.  10 :  i 
' '        10.     Monthly  Concert.     N.   American    Indians.     I  Cor.  9 : 

16-17. 
44        17.     How  to  keep  the  Sabbath.     Ex.  20:  8-n  ;    Luke  14: 

1-25  ;  Neh.  13  :   15-23. 
"        24.     My  Duty  to  the  Prayer-Meeting.     Heb.  10:25;  Mai. 

3 :  16. 
"        31.     The  Promises  attending  the  Word.     Is.  55  :  10  ;   I  Pet. 

i:  18-25. 
Aug.      7.     Psalm  27. 

14.     Monthly  Concert.     South  America.     Prov.  14 :  34. 
"       21.      Planning    for    Business.      Jas.  4:13;    Luke    12:18; 

Deut.  31 :  12-13. 
"        28.     The  Trials  of  Faith.     Gen.  -_2  :  I ;  Matth.  15:  21 ;  id. 

16 :  21 ;    Mark  7  :  24;   id.  8  :  26. 

Sept.      4.     Monthly  Concert.     Japan.     John  4 :  9-10. 
"        n.     Advantages    of    Christian    Society.      Acts   28:  15;    I 

Thes.  3:1;  Jno.  11:5. 

"        18.     Confession  of  Sin.     Hos.  5:15;  Ps.  51 :  3. 
"        25.     Helps  and  Hindrances  to  Spiritual  Prosperity.     Prov. 

30:  7-9;  Luke  12:  13-21. 


I3O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

Oct.       2.     The  Earth  bringeth  forth  Fruit.     Ps.  65:  n.  Mark  4: 

28  ;  Deut.  33  :  14 ;  Heb.  3  :  17. 

"          9.     Monthly  Concert.     Persia.     Matth.  2 :  12. 
"        16.     The  Danger  of  neglecting  the  Gospel.     Heb.  2  :  3. 
"        23.     The  Connection  of  Peace  with  Faith.     Ro.  5  :  I. 
"        30.     Christ's  Death  for  Sin.     Is.  53  ;  Ro.  5  :  8. 
Nov.      6.     Monthly  Concert.     Papal  Europe.     Ro.  i:  15. 
"        13.     The  Bible  Doctrine  of  Conscience.     Jer.  6:15;  i  Tim. 

4:2;    Heb.  9:  14;  Acts.  23:  i. 
"        20.     Visiting  the  Sick  and  Helping  the  Destitute.   Jas.  i :  27  ; 

Matth.  25  :  40. 

"        27.     Reasons  for  Thankfulness.     Eph.  5  :  20. 
Dec.      4.     Monthly  Concert.     Syria.     Acts  13 :  44-49. 
"        ii.     Honor  God  with  thy  Substance.     Prov.  3  :  9. 
"        18.     Patience  under   Discouragements.     Rev.  2:3-7;   Acts 

27:  33- 
"        25.     Faithful  unto  Death.     Rev.  2  :  10. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
STEPS  TOWARDS  UNIFORMITY. 

Let  us  enumerate  some  of  the  steps  which  have 
been  taken  by  the  church  at  large  in  the  direction 
of  uniform  topics  for  the  prayer-meeting. 

It  may  be  supposed  that  the  use  of  the  international 
series  of  Sunday-school  lessons  in  all  Christian  lands,. 
and  their  general  adaptability  to  the  purpose  for 
which  they  have  been  selected,  has  given  the  hint  to 
the  prayer-meeting.  If  that  has  proved  an  advan- 
tage, why  will  not  this  also  ?  Nor  need  we  look 
upon  the  exposition  of  the  topics  by  the  religious 
press  as  tending  to  destroy  thought,  original  research 
and  experience;  not  at  all,  but  rather  as  illustrations 
of  topical  treatment,  which,  while  it  does  not  take  the 
place  of  thought,  may  largely  invigorate  it,  and  give 
it  a  hopeful,  useful  and  intelligent  direction.  And 
with  this  proof  of  practical  benefit  which  that 
pioneer,  the  International  Series,  from  many  years  of 
successful  trial  has  already  presented,  it  will  be  much 
easier  for  uniform  topics  in  the  prayer-meeting  to 


132  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

step  into  use  and  favor;  for  whatever  are  the  objec- 
tions to  be  urged  against  the  latter,  they  apply  with 
equal  force  against  the  former. 

But  uniformity  in  topics  for  the  prayer-meeting  all 
over  the  world  has  been  secured  for  just  one  week  in 
the  year — the  Week  of  Prayer.  This  shows,  when 
great  results  are  looked  for  in  connection  with  prayer 
that  uniform  action  is  desirable.  But  if  this  is  desir- 
able for  one  week,  why  is  not  for  fifty-two  weeks? 
And  will  any  one  say  that  the  meetings  during  the 
Week  of  Prayer  lack  interest  and  profit? 

The  fact  that  some  churches  are  in  the  habit  of 
using  the  Sunday-school  lessons  as  subjects  for  the 
prayer-meeting  is  an  indication  tliat  topics  with 
which  the  people  may  make  themselves  familiar  are 
relished  better  than  the  custom  which  gives  them  no 
topics  at  all. 

It  has  already  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
writer,  that  a  number  of  churches  in  different  parts  of 
the  land  have  united  in  the  use  of  a  list  of  subjects, 
besides  those  mentioned  at  the  close  of  our  last  chap- 
ter. The  first  list,  as  given  below,  was  used  last 
year  by  the  seven  Presbyterian  churches  of  Detroit, 
viz:  First  Presbyterian,  Fort  Street;  Jefferson 
Avenue,  Westminster,  Calvary,  Union,  and  Central. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  133 


TOPICS. 

Jan.       5.  "  This  Year  Also."     Luke  13:6-9. 

"        g.  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  MEETING.     Wisdom's  Call.  Prov.  i. 

"       10.  The  Prayer  for  Pardon.     Ps.  51. 

"       ii.  Renewal  of  Covenant.     Ezra  10:1-14.     Neh.  9:38. 

"      12.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

"      19.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     The  Outlook.     The  Last  Com- 
mand.    Mark  16:15-20. 

"       25.  Prayer   for  Colleges.     Consecrated  Learning.     Acts  7 : 

20-22;  Heb.  11:23-27. 

26.  The  Faithful  God.     Duet.  7:6-13. 

Feb.      2.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     China  and  Chinese  in  U.  S. 

"          9.  Christ's  Hour  of  Joy.      Luke  10:21-24;      Matt,  n : 
25-30. 

"       16.  Misplaced  Pity.     Luke  23 :  26-28. 

"       23.  A  Good  Conscience.     Job  31 :  19-32. 

Mar.     2.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     Mexico  and  New  Mexico. 

"        9.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

"       16.  Ignorant  Prayer.     Mark  10 :  35-40. 

"       23.  The  Helper  of  Our  Infirmities.     Rom.  8  :  26,  27. 

"       30.  Prayer  and  Action.     Ex.  14:13-16. 

Apr.      6.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.    India. 

"       13.  Micah's  Religion.     Judges  17. 

•'       20.  Reward  of  Self-denial.     Matt.  19:  27-30. 

"       27.  Responsibility  Declined.     Exod.  4:10-16 

May      4.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     Siam  and  Laos. 

"      ii.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

18.  The  Filial  Spirit.     Rom.  8:14-17. 

"       25.  Obscure  Workers.     Jer.  38  :  7-13;  John  1 :  40-46. 

June     i.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     Africa. 

"         8.  Youthful  Lives  Contrasted.     2  Kings  21:   1-9;  22. 

"       15.  Christ's  Standard  of  Righteousness.     Matt.  5  :  20. 

"       22.  The  Glory  of  the  Word.     Ps.  19  :  7-14. 

"       29.  The  Household  of  God.     Eph.  2:19-22. 


134  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

July     6.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

"      13.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     N.  A.  Indians. 

"       20.  Perpetuated  Sin.     2  Kings  17  : 21-23. 

"       27.  Telling  of  Christ.     John  4 128-39. 

Aug.     3.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.    South  America. 

"       10.  The  Severity  of  Christ.     Mai.  3  : 1-6;  Matt.  3:  10-12. 

"       17.  The  Year  of  Jubilee.     Levit.  25  : 10-16 ;  Luke  4 : 16-30. 

24.  Stumbling  at  the  prosperity  of  the  Wicked.     Ps.  73. 

"       31.  The  Christian' s  Portion.     I  Cor.  3:21-23 

'Sept.     7.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

"      14.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.    Japan. 

"      21.  The  Complete  Body.     I  Cor.  12:  14-31. 

"      28.  Daily  Gleaning.     Ruth  2  :  19  ;  2  Cor.  9:6-11. 

-Oct.     5.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.    Persia. 

"      12.  Household  Religion.     Deut.  6. 

"      19.  The  Service  of  Song.     Eph.  5  :  18-20. 

26.  The  Vanity  of  Worldly  Good.     Eccl.  2. 

Nov.    2.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.     Papal  Europe. 

"       9.  PREPARATORY  LECTURE. 

"      16.  Heard  from  the  Beginning.     Dan.  9:20-23. 

"      23.  The  Law  of  Edification.     I  Cor.  14  :  26. 

"      30.  To  Every  Man  His  Work.  -Mark  13:  34;   Eph.  4:  7. 

Dec.    7.  MONTHLY  CONCERT.    Syria. 

"      14.  The  Prayer  of  Moses.     Psalm  90. 

"      21.  Thomas' Doubt  and  Faith.     John  20  :  24-31. 

"      28  Our  House  from  Heaven.     2  Cor.  5:  1-5. 

To  what  extent  this  second  list  is  being  used  the 
writer  is  unable  to  say ;  but  some  of  those  who  have 
been  previously  using  prepared  topics,  speak  of  the 
practice  in  the  highest  terms.* 

*  The  Rev.  J.  C.  McClintock  commends  it  in  the  following  words :  "  For  a 
.year  past  a  number  of  pastors  have  used  the  same  topics  in  their  prayer- 
meetings.  The  result  has  been  so  helpful,  that  they  are  uniting  in  the  same 
plan  for  1878,  and  they  ask  you  to  join  them  in  what  has  proved  a  delightful 
means  of  Communion.  The  Topics  have  been  furnished  by  several  of  our 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  135 

TOPICS. 

Jan.      2.     God's  Presence  with  us.     Ex.  32:  12-23. 
H   The  Week  of  Prayer. 

12.) 

"  16.  The  Gracious  Invitation.     15.55:1-9. 

"  23.  Will  You  Accept  It?     John  12 142-50. 

"  30.  Prayer  for  Schools.     Prov.  3:13-26. 

Feb.  6.  Go,  Preach  the  Gospel.     Mark  18: 15-20. 

"  13.  The  Sinner's  Danger.     Gen.  19 : 12-22. 

20.  The  Refuge.    Col.  i :  13-22. 

"  27.  The  Sister's  Choice.     Luke  10 :  38-42. 

Mar.  6.  From  Darkness  to  Light.     Acts  26: 16-23. 

"  13.  The  Lord's  Prayer.     Matt.  6:  5-15. 

"  20.  Secret  and  Family  Prayer.     Acts.  10  : 1-20. 

"  27.  The  Prayer  of  Faith.     Matt.  15  :  21-28. 

Apr.  3.  Zion's  Prospects.     Is.  40:1-11. 

10.  What  Shall  I  Do  With  Jesus?     Matt.  27  :  19-35. 

"  17.  What  May  I  Do  for  Jesus?     Matt.  25  :  31-40. 

"  24.  Not  Here,  but  Risen.     Luke  24 :  1-12. 

May  i.  What  Can  She  Do?     Mark  14: 1-9. 

"  8.  The  Comforter.     John  14:  15-27. 

"  15,  Thy  Poor  Brother.     Deut.  15  : 7-11. 

"  22.  Cure  foi  Thought-Taking.     Matt.  6  :  25-35. 

"  29.  The  Solution  of  Doubt.     John  7  :  1-18. 

June  5.  Fields  White  to  Harvest.     John  4:  30-32. 

"  12.  The  Teacher's  Preparation.     Ezra  7 :  10- 

"  19.  The  Teacher's  Reward.     Luke  10:  16-24. 

"  26.  Quality  not  quantity.     Judges  7  : 1-9. 

•experienced  pastors,  who  have  aimed  to  give  a  due  proportion  to  Devotion, 
Doctrine,  Christian  Experience  and  Daily  Life."  '•  I  have  been  astonished 
to  find  so  many  Churches  using  Topics  of  nearly  the  same  form.  Let  us 
have  them  in  our  Presbyterian  Church,  THE  SAME. — Rev.  J.  M.  Bishop, 
Lebanon,  Ind.  "  I  am  heartily  interested  in  the  scheme.  We  have  used 
the  list  for  1877,  with  great  profit."— Rev.  E.  P.  Whallon,  Liberty,  Ind. 
"  There  is  much  good  to  be  derived  from  these  topical  prayer-meetings. 
They  keep  the  Church  in  a  chronic  state  of  revival." — Rev. ./.  M.  Nourse, 
Athens,  Ohio.  "  AB  to  the  '  communion  prayer-meeting  topics,'  I  am  deeply 
interested."— Rev.  T.  II.  Clelland,  Council  Bluffs,  la.  "I  have  used  the 
prayer-meeting  topics  during  the  past  year,  with  great  acceptance  to  my 
people." — Rev.  Chas.  Little,  Wabash,  Ind. 


136  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

July  3.  Declaration  of  Dependence.     Josh.  24:21—29. 

"  10.  Tha  Friend  of  Sinners.     Luke  7  :  40-50. 

"  17.  A  Prosperous  Man.     Gen.  39:1—6. 

"  24.  Soul  Prosperity.     3  John  1 :  8- 

"  31.  A  Peculiar  People,     i  Peter  2:  9-17. 

Aug.  7.  Open  Doors.     Rev.  3  :  7-13. 

"  14.  Eli's  Failure,     i  Sam.  2 :  27-36. 

21.  Two  Paths.     Gen.  13:8-18. 

"  28.  The  Saviour.     Acts  13  :  23-33. 

Sept.  4.  The  King.     Ps.  2:1-12. 

"  n.  The  Shepherd.     John  10:  i-io. 

"  18.  Astray  and  Asleep.     Jonah  i :  1-12. 

"  25.  The  Stone  Rolled  Away.     Mark  16:  1-16. 

Oct.  2.  Christian  Giving.     2  Cor.  9:5-15. 

"  9.  Armor  and  Strength,     i  Sam.  17  :  37— 50. 

'  16.  The  Penitent's  Prayer.     Ps.  51:1-19. 

"  23.  Saved,     i  John  5:  9-21. 

"  30.  Joy.     i  Peter  4:  13-19. 

Nov.  6.  Our  Work.     John  i :  35-49. 

"  13.  The  Spirit's  Work.     John  16 : 1-14. 

"  20.  Daniel — Greatly  Beloved.     Dan.  9:17-23. 

"  27.  The  Year's  Blessings.     Ps.  65  :  1-13. 

Dec.  4.  Times  of  Refreshing.     Mai.  3:10—18. 

"  ii.  Justified  Faith.     James  2 :  14-26. 

"  18.  No  Continuing  City.     Heb.  13  :  5-15. 

"  2^..  Good  Tidings.     Luke  2: 8-19. 

But  a  movement  on  a  still  larger  scale  has  already 
been  inaugurated,  the  one  from  Chicago  as  a  center, 
and  the  other  from  London,  towards  uniformity, 
which  in  the  means  of  securing  it  is  a  great  and  im- 
portant discovery.  Its  existence  came  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  writer  only  a  few  weeks  ago,  but  happily 
in  time  to  fit  into  its  place  here  as  another  in  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  137 

series.  This  plan  is  already  solving  the  difficulties 
connected  with  uniformity.  And  from  the  sketch 
to  be  introduced  it  is  plain  that  no  single  person  is  en- 
titled to  the  claim  of  exclusive  discovery.  It  is  ev- 
idently the  prompting  of  that  same  Spirit  who  has 
access  to  all  Christian  hearts.  It  is  generally  the  way 
when  He  desires  to  inaugurate  and  carry  forward  a 
great  movement  that  He  prepares  the  way  for  it  by 
working  upon  the  mind  of  the  Church  at  large.  A 
perusal  of  the  following  sketch  from  the  pen  of  Miss 
E.  Dryer  will  more  and  more  convince  us  of  this: 

BIBLE  READING  AND  PRAYER  ALLIANCE. 
The  object  of  this  Alliance  is  to  promote  the  united  prayerful 
study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Pastors  of  churches,  Superintend- 
ents and  Teachers  of  Sabbath  Schools,  and  Christians  everywhere, 
are  cordially  invited  to  co-operate  in  this  effort,  and  to  make  the 
seven  chapters  of  the  week,  or  subjects  taken  therefrom,  the  fre- 
quent theme  of  meetings  for  Bible  study.  Any  Christian  may 
organize  a  class  of  readers,  and  thus  many  unsaved  persons  may  be 
brought  to  the  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God. 

The  Committee  who  recommend  this  Alliance  is  composed  of 
representatives  chosen  by  their  respective  denominations  and  societies 
in  the  city  of  Chicago  to  promote  this  work. 

T.  W.  HARVEY,  Pres.  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Chairman. 

Rev.  BISHOP  C.  E.  CHENFY,  Reformed  Episcopal. 

Rev.  DR.  D.  B.  CHENEY,  Baptist. 

Rev.  Dr.  J.  MONRO  GIBSON,  Presbyterian. 

Rev.  Dr.  E.  P.  GOODWIN,  Congregationalist. 

Rev.  Dr.  EDWARD  SULLIVAN,  Episcopal. 

Rev.  DR.  JOHN  Z.  TONGERSON,  Lutheran. 

Rev.  DR.  W.  C.  WILLING,  Presiding  Elder,  M   E.  C. 

Mrs.  W.  H.  GOODRICH,  Bible  Work,  Cor.  Sec.  and  Treas. 

Miss  E.  DRYER,  Bible  Work,  Rec.  Sec'y. 

10 


138 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


THE  BIBLE  READING  AND  PRAYER  ALLIANCE  had  its  begin- 
ning January  ist,  1877,  in  a  small  morning  prayer-meeting  in  Chi- 
cago. There  was  then  no  purpose  of  extending  it  beyond  the 
circle  of  a  few  Christian  friends.  But,  in  God's  providence,  so 
rapidly  did  the  united  interest  spread,  that  a  Scripture  calendar  was 
prepared,  and  very  soon  the  first  five  thousand  had  found  their 
way,  with  care,  into  churches,  Sunday-schools,  hospitals,  boarding- 
houses,  families,  not  only  in  the  city,  but  in  different  parts  of  the 
State  and  in  distant  States. 

The  effort  received  its  first  marked  impulse  in  a  conference  of 
Christian  ladies  of  different  denominations,  who  met  weekly  for 
Bible  study  and  prayer;  most  of  whom  were  engaged  in  the  active 
Christian  work  of  cottage  prayer-meetings  and  house  to  house  visi- 
tation which  attended  and  followed  the  Moody  meetings  of  that 
winter. 

These  Christian  workers  were  bound  together,  under  the  name  of 
the  "  Bible  Work  Association,"  by  the  following 

AGREEMENT : 

We,  the  undersigned,  purpose 

I.  To  read  the  Bible  together  daily,  praying  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
guide  us  into  all  truth,  according  to  our  Lord' s  promise  :  John  16:13. 

II.  To  pray  daily  for  each  other,  that  we  may  grow  in  grace 
and  a  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  2  Pet.  3:18. 

III.  To  meet  together  weekly  and  monthly  for  prayer  and  con- 
ference and  study  of  the  Scriptures,  that  we  may  thereby  be  better 
prepared  to  present  to  the  lost,  salvation  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  lead 
His  church  to  seek  the  things  that  are  above,  where  He  sitteth  on 
the  right  hand  of  God;  Col.  3  : 1. 

IV.  By     personal    conversations,     prayer-meetings,     Scripture 
readings,    and   other  Christian   efforts,    to    present   Christ  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  lost,  and  to  present  help  to  all  who  are  weary  and 
heavy  laden.  Matt.  1 1 : 28. 

In  a  few  months,  it  was  evident  that  the  Lord  was  extending  the 
work  beyond  the  control  of  any  such  organization  of  active  mem- 
bership as  was  at  first  contemplated,  and  yet  not  a  line  had  ap- 
peared in  print  concerning  it. 

In  June,  the  Secretary  learned  through  a  newspaper  item,  that 
in  January,  1876,  a  similar  union  was  formed  in  London,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Richardson,  London,  which  num- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  139 

bered  the  first  year  about  18,000  members,  and  which  has  extended, 
through  missionaries,  to  Arabia,  China,  Persia  and  India. 

It  then  became  more  than  ever  apparent  that  our  Lord  was  exe- 
cuting a  loving  purpose  of  uniting  His  Church  in  prayer  and  Bible 
study,  in  a  new  and  great  degree;  and  increased  and  systematic 
efforts  were  made  to  establish  the  wide-spread  work  which  had 
grown  from  such  small  beginnings. 

The  present  Committee,  representatives  of  Evangelical  denomina- 
tions and  societies  in  Chicago,  convened  in  October,  1877,  and 
under  the  new  name  organized  to  promote  the  objects  of  this 
alliance.  It  was  thought  best  to  spend  six  months  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament and  six  months  in  the  Old  Testament ;  beginning  January 
with  Matthew,  and  reading  the  first  two  gospels  and  the  Pauline 
epistles ;  and  in  June  to  begin  Genesis,  reading  historic  parts  of  the 
Old  Testament  during  the  remainder  of  the  year. 

From  these  Daily  Readings  the  committee  have  selected  fifty-two 
topics,  which,  following  the  practice  instituted  at  the  beginning, 
may  be  conveniently  used  in  weekly  meetings,  and  which  present  the 
advantage  of  united  study  and  preparation  on  the  part  of  those  who 
use  them. 

A  similar  course  has,  during  the  last  year,  in  some  parts  of  our 
country,  been  followed  with  good  results,  in  church  prayer-meetings, 
cottage  meetings,  and  meetings  organized  for  Bible  study. 

We  hope  that  in  Churches,  Sabbath  Schools  and  Christian  com- 
munities, Christians  who  are  interested  to  forward  this  Union  of 
Bible  study  and  prayer,  will  send  us  their  names  at  once.  We  shall 
issue  cards  of  membership  to  such,  and  to  all  others  who,  for  the 
year,  desire  them. 

To  induce  others  to  read  the  Bible  systematically,  is  one  of  the 
easy  and  most  fruitful  sources  of  Christian  effort. 

Old  and  young,  sick  and  well,  may  find  successful  work  in  this 
line.  One  feeble  Christian,  in  a  community  where  there  is  no 
church,  may  through  faith  and  prayerful  effort,  form  a  society  in 
which  the  word  of  God  shall  grow,  until  the  sower  and  reapers 
shall  rejoice  t°";ether  in  heaven  amid  the  gathered  harvest.  Deut. 
8:3;  Acts  6:7;  Acts  17 :  II ;  Col.  1:5,  6 ;  John  15:3;  Matt. 

I3:  3-9- 

God  has  promised  to  bless  /its  own  word.  Isa.  55:10,  n, 
Matt.  24:  35. 

And  the  following  "  Calendar  "  for  Daily  Scripture 
Reading  has  been  prepared  by  the  Committee  of 
the  Alliance  for  the  year  1878: 


140 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


CALENDAR. 


JAN. 

FEB. 

MAR. 

APR. 

MAY. 

JUNE. 

I  Matt,  i 

i  Mark  4 

i  Acts  16 

i  i  Cor.  3 

i  Gal.  4 

i  2Tim.i 

2   "    2 

2  "   5 

2  "  17 

2   "    4 

2  "   5 

2   "    2 

3  '   3 

3  "   6 

3  "  18 

3  '    5 

3  "   6 

3  "   3 

4  '   4 

4  "   7 

4  "  19 

4  "   6 

4  Eph.  i 

4  "   4 

5  '   5 

5  "   8 

5   "   20 

5  "   7 

5   "    2 

5  Titus  i 

6  '   6 

6  "   9 

6   "   21 

6  "   8 

6  "   3 

6   "    2 

7  '   7 

7   '  10 

7   "   22 

7  «   9 

7  "   4 

7  "   3 

S  «   8 

8   '  ii 

8  «  23 

8  "  10 

8  "   5 

8  Phil,  i 

9  '   9 

9   '  12 

9  "  24 

9  "  ii 

9  "   6 

9  Heb.  i 

10  '   10 

10  «  13 

10  "  25 

10   "   12 

10  Phil,  i 

10   "    2 

ii  '   ii 

ii  '  14 

ii  "  26 

II   "   13 

II   "    2 

ii  "   3 

12   '    12 

12   "   15 

12   "   27 

12   "   14 

12  "   3 

12  '   4 

13  «  13 

13  "  16 

13   "   28 

13   "   15 

13  "   4 

13  "   5 

14  '  14 

14  Acts  i 

14  Rom.  i 

14  "  16 

14  Col.  i 

14  "   6 

15  *   15 

15   "    2 

15   "    2 

15  2Cor.  i 

15   "    2 

15  "   7 

16  <   16 

16  ••   3 

16  "   3 

16  "   2 

16  "   3 

16  "   8 

17  '   17 

17  "   4 

17  "   4 

17  "   3 

17  "   4 

17  "   9 

18  '   18 

18  "   5 

18  "   5 

18  "   4 

iSiThss.i 

18  "  10 

19  '   19 

19  "   6 

19  "   6 

19  "   5 

19   "    2 

19  "  ii 

20  '  20 

20   "    7 

20  "   7 

20   "    6 

20  "   3 

20   "   12 

21   "   21 

21   "    8 

21   "    8 

21  "   7 

21  "   4 

21   "   13 

22   "   22 

22   "    9 

22   "    9 

22   "    S 

22   "    5 

22  Gen.  i 

23   "   23 

23  "  10 

23  '  10 

23   '   9 

23  2  Thssi 

23  "   2 

24   "   24 

24  "  ii 

24  '  ii 

24    10 

24   "    2 

24  "   3 

25   "   25 

25   "   12 

25   '   12 

25  '  II 

25  "   3 

25  "   4 

26   "   26 

26   "   13 

26   '   13 

26   '   12 

26i  Tim.  i 

26   '   5 

27  •'  27 

27   "   14 

27   '   14 

27   '   13 

27  "   2 

27   '   6 

28   "   28 

28  "  15 

28   «'   15 

28  Gal.  i 

28  "   3 

28  •   7 

29  Mark  i 

29  "  16 

29  "   2 

29  "   4 

29  '   8 

30  "   2 

30  i  Cor.  i 

30  "   3 

30  "   5 

30  '   9 

31  "   3 

31   "    2 

31  "   6 

THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


141 


CALENDAR. 


JULY. 

AUG. 

SEPT. 

OCT. 

Nov. 

DEC. 

i  Gen.  10 

i  Gen.  41 

1  Ex.  22 

i  Nu.  12 

i  Deut.  .7 

1  Josh  3 

2   '    II 

2  "  42 

2   "   23 

2   "   I3 

2   "    8 

2   "    4 

3  '   12 

3  "  43 

3  "  24 

3  "  14 

3  "   9 

3  "   5 

4  '   13 

4   '  44 

4  ';  25 

4  '   15 

4  "  10 

4  "   6 

14 

5  "  45 

5  "  26 

5  "  i6|  5  "  ii 

5     7 

6  '   15 

6  "  46 

6  "  27 

6  "  I7 

6   "   12 

6  "   S 

7  '   16 

7  "  47 

7  "  28 

7  «  18 

7  "  13 

7  "   9 

S  •   17 

8  "  48 

8  "  29 

8  "  19 

8  "  14 

8  "  10 

9  '   18 

9  ••  49 

9  "  30 

9  "  2u 

9  "  15 

9  "  ii 

10   '    IQ 

10  "  50 

10  "  31 

10   "   21 

10  "  16 

10   '   12 

ii  '   20 

11  Ex.  i 

ii  "  32 

II   "   22 

ii  "  17 

ii   '  13 

12   '   21 

12   "    2 

12  "  33 

12   "   23 

12   "   18 

12   «   14 

13   '   22 

13   "    3 

13  "  34|13  "  24 

13  "  19 

13   '  15 

14  •  21 

14  «   4 

14  "  35(14  "  25 

14   "   20 

14     16 

15   '   24 

15  "   5 

15  "  36 

15   "   26 

15   "   21 

15   «  17 

16  '   25 

16  "   6 

16  ««  37 

16  "  27 

l6   "   22 

16   '  18 

17  '   26 

17  "   7 

17  "  38 

17  "A28 

17  "  23 

17   «  19 

18  '   27 

18  "   8 

18  "•  39 

18  "  29 

18  "  24 

18   «  20 

19  '   28 

19  "   g 

19  <l  40 

19  "  30 

19  "  25 

19   '   21 

20  '   29 

20  "  10 

20  Num.  i 

20  "  31 

20   "   26 

2O   "   22 

21  '  30 

21   "   II 

21   "    2 

21   "   32 

21   "   27 

21   t%   23 

22   '   31 

22   "   12 

22  "   3 

22  "  33 

22   "   28 

22  "  24 

23   '   32 

23   "   13 

23  "   4 

23  "  34 

23   "   2g 

23  Ps.  135 

24  '   33 

24   '    I4 

24  '   5 

24  "  35 

24  "  30 

24  "  136 

25     34 

25  "  15 

25  '    6 

25  "  36 

25  "  31 

25  "  144 

26  '   35 

26  "  16 

26  "   7 

26  Deut.  i 

26  "  32 

26  "  145 

27  '   36 

27  "  17 

27  «   8 

27  "   2 

27  "  33 

27  "  146 

28  <   37 

28  "  18 

28  "   9 

28  "   3 

28  «  34 

28   "  I47 

29  '   38 

29  "  19 

29  "  10 

29  "   4 

29  Josh,  i 

29  "  148 

30  '   39 

30   "   20 

30  "  ii 

3°     5 

30  "   2 

30  "  149 

3i    40 

31   "   21 

31     6 

31  "  150 

142  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

And  in  connection  with  these  daily  readings  of  the 
Scripture  the  annexed  list  of  topics  for  the  fifty-two 

weekly  prayer-meetings    have    been    suggested    for 

general  use: 

Jan.     I.  The  Temptation  of  Christ.     Matt.  4:1-11. 

"       2.  Methods  and  Spirit  of  Prayer.     Matt.  6  :  5-15. 

'«       3.  Faith  for  Others.     Matt.  15  :  21-28. 

"       4.  Consecration  Tested.     Matt.  19: 16-20. 

"       5.  Jesus  in  Gethsemane.     Matt.  26:  30— 36. 

Feb.    I.  Parable  of  the  Sower.     Mark  4 : 1-20. 

"       2.  The  Demoniac  Son  Healed.     Mark  9:  14-29. 

"       3.  The  Baptism  of  the  Spirit.     Acts  2  : 1-21. 

"       4.  Paul"  s  Conversion.     Acts  9 :  1-22. 

Mar.   i.  Divine  Service.     Acts  20 :  18-35. 

"       2.  Christian  Enthusiasm.     Acts  26:  24,  25. 

"       3.  Assurance  of  Faith  and  Hope.     Roman>  8  :  28-39. 

"       4.  Consecration.     Romans  12  ;  i,  2. 

"       5.  Truth  Revealed  by  the  Spirit.     I  Cor.  2. 

April  i.  The  Believer — God's  Temple.     I  Cor.  3  :  9-17. 

"       2.  One  Spirit — Diverse  Gifts.     I  Cor.  12. 

"       3.  Weakness  Made  Strength.     2  Cor.  12  :  7-10. 

"       4.  Giving  and  Gaining.     2  Cor.  9. 

May    i.  Saved  by  Grace.     Gal.  3  : 1-4. 

"       2.  The  Christian  Walk.     Eph.  4 :  5. 

"       3.  Seeking  the  Prize.     Phil.  3:7-15. 

"       4.  Resurrection  Life.     Col.  3 :  9—17. 

"       5.  The  Comforting  Hope,     i  Thess.  4:  13-18. 

June    i.  Perilous  Times.     2  Tim.  3  : 1-13. 

"       2.  Divine  Sympathy  and  Succour.     Heb.  4:15,16. 

"       3.  Patience  and  Faith.     Heb.  10 :  36-38. 

"       4.  Walking  with  God.     Gen.  5  :  22. 

July    i.  The  Bow  in  the  Cloud.     Gen.  9:  13. 

"       2.  Intercession.     Gen.  18 :  23-33. 

"       3.  The  Lord  will  Provide.     Gen.  22 :  14. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  143 

July  4.  Prevailing  Prayer.     Gen.  32  :  24-32. 

"  5.  The  Lord  in  the  Prison.     Gen.  39:  21. 

Aug.  i.  Our  Short-sightedness.     Gen.  42  :  36. 

"  2.  Faith  and  Worship.     Ex.  4:31. 

"  3.  The  Covenant-Keeping  God.     Ex.  6:  2-S. 

"  4.  The  Passover.     Ex.  12. 

Sept.  I.  The  Ten  Commandments.     Ex.  20  :  1-17. 

"  2.  Holiness  to  the  Lord.     Ex.  28  :  36—43. 

"  3.  The  Lord's  Presence.     Ex.  33:  14-17. 

"  4.  The  Cloud  and  the  Glory.     Ex.  40  :  34-38. 

Oct.  I.  A  Noble  Example.     Num.  n  :  25-29. 

"  2.  The  Smitten  Rock.     Num.  20:8-12. 

"  3.  Baalim's  Empty  Wish.     Num.  23  :  10. 

"  4.  No  Compromise.     Num.  33  :  50-56. 

"  5.  Only  Take  Heed.     Deut.  4 :  9,  10. 

Nov.  i.  God's  Care  of  His  People.     Deut.  7  :  6-17. 

"  2.  Love  of  God's  Word.     Deut.  n  :  18-25. 

"  3.  Courage  from  God.     Deut.  20 :  1-8. 

"  4.  The  First  belongs  to  God.     Deut.  26:  i-n. 

"  5.  Blessings  upon  Penitents.     Deut.  30 :  1-16. 

Dec.  i.  Result  of  Courage.     Josh.  1 :  5-18. 

"  2.  Victory  from  God.     Josh.  6:  1-20. 

"  3.  Sin  a  Hindrance.     Josh.  7:6-26. 

"  4.  Cities  of  Refuge. 

"  5.  Praise.     Psalms. 

The  adoption  of  such  a  plan  as  this  would  prove  a 
powerful  auxiliary  to  the  daily  cultivation  of  piety  as 
set  forth  in  our  fourth  chapter.  And  it  has  these  con- 
spicuous merits,  that  it  secures  uniformity,  that  the 
topics  grow  out  of  the  daily  readings,  and  that  the 
daily  readings  prepare  for  the  topics  and  help  to  illus- 
trate them.  All  in  all  it  is  a  most  admirable  combin- 
ation that  cannot  fail  to  recommend  its  adoption  to  all 


144  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

who  are  earnestly  praying  for  salvation  in  Israel  and 
the  more  general  establishment  of  our  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  Fly,  O  thou  angel  having  in  charge  to 
preach  the  everlasting  Gospel  unto  all  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred 
and  tongue  and  people,  and  say  to  them  all,  Fear 
God,  honor  and  obey  Him. 

But  whether  we  shall  have  uniform  topics  or  not, 
either  on  a  limited  or  a  general  scale,  let  us  have 
interesting  prayer-meetings.  Let  us  set  to  work 
with  such  earnestness  and  let  us  adopt  such  methods 
as  under  the  divine  blessing  shall  secure  them. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
HELPS  TO  SPEAKING  IN  PUBLIC. 

Those  who  attempt  to  speak  in  public  for  the  first 
time  need  to  be  told  that  the  agitation  of  mind  which 
often  accompanies  the  effort  is  not  peculiar  to  them- 
selves, but  is  an  experience  common  to  all,  or 
nearly  so,  and  is  not  to  be  taken  as  a  sign  that  they 
will  never  be  able  to  speak  with  freedom  and  delight. 

There  may  be  some  who  are  natural  orators,  born 
such,  like  the  poet  of  whom  Horace  writes,  and  to 
such  nothing  need  be  said.  They  take  to  speaking 
as  naturally  as  ducks  to  water.  The  perfect  orator  is 
one  who  knows  everything,  and  is  always  prepared, 
knows  just  what  to  say,  how  to  say  it,  and  when 
to  say  it.  His  will  power  is  so  imperial  that  nothing 
can  daunt  or  subdue  it;  against  whom  the  storms  of 
opposing  faction  beat  in  vain.  His  sensibilities  are 
so  tender  that  they  are  responsive  to  every  emotion, 
and  so  deep  as  to  impress  every  hearer.  He  is  like 
the  lake  on  whose  surface  every  breeze  makes  an 
impression,  and  from  whose  depths  the  storms  stir  up 


146  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

the  waves  that  sweep  the  sky  and  carry  everything 
along  with  them.  The  trembling  heart  and  the 
responsive  eye  give  proper  tones  to  expression  and 
suitable  look  and  gesture  to  every  action. 

The  majority  of  mankind  are  less  gifted  and  need 
to  study  and  premeditate  in  order  to  know  what  to 
say;  they  need  to  practice  in  order  to  learn  how  best 
to  say  it,  and  by  frequent  trial  on  the  waves  of 
extempore  speech  acquire  the  secret  of  speaking 
with  force,  verve,  precision  and  persuasion.  If  there 
is  any  comfort  in  that,  there  are  many  examples  of 
those  who  at  the  outset  have  made  miserable  failures. 
The  case  of  Sheridan  is  well  known.  His  "  maiden 
speech"  in  the  House  of  Commons  was  a  failure 
that  nearly  drove  him  wild,  but  not  to  despair ;  for  he 
immediately  vowed  "that  it  was  in  him  and  should 
come  out."  He  persevered  and  became  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  orators  in  English  history.  The  life  of 
Disraeli,  the  present  Earl  Beaconsfield,  furnishes  an 
example  exactly  similar  to  that  of  Sheridan's.  It 
is  related  of  Livingstone,  the  African  explorer,  that 
the  first  time  he  tried  to  preach  for  a  minister  who 
was  ill,  he  could  get  out  nothing  beyond  the  text,  and 
after  repeated  trials  he  walked  down  the  steps  of  the 
pulpit,  took  up  his  hat,  and  went  away  leaving  ser- 
mon and  service  unfinished.  It  is  said  that  when  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  147 

poet  Longfellow  visited  London,  he  accepted  the 
compliment  of  a  breakfast  on  the  express  condition 
that  there  should  be  no  public  speaking.  But  some 
clever  man  purposely  laid  a  trap  for  him,  got  up 
and  toasted  him  in  some  very  complimentary  remarks. 
These  called  for  a  response  from  the  poet.  In  his 
embarrassment  he  arose,  attempted  a  speech,  but 
could  get  out  nothing  but  something  like  this:  "  Gen- 
tlemen, I  thank  you."  When  Dr.  Windship,  the 
Yankee  Hercules,  first  appeared  with  a  lecture  before 
a  Boston  audience  to  tell  how  he  had  acquired  his 
immense  strength,  he  was  so  overcome  by  the  sight 
of  his  audience  as  to  faint  in  their  presence;  but 
immediately  upon  recovering  and  learning  the  cause 
of  his  discomfiture,  he  said  :  "  What  !  a  man  that 
can  lift  two  thousand  pounds  afraid  of  an  audience, 
impossible  !  Let  me  go  before  them  again,  I  will 
and  must  tel!  them  what  I  have  to  say " — and 
tell  them  he  did.  John  Stuart  Mill  frequently 
halted  in  his  speeches,  and  yet  was  a  very  forcible 
and  clear  speaker.  But  I  need  not  multiply  in- 
stances to  prove  that  men  of  profound  thought  and 
great  ability  have  experienced  great  difficulty  in 
acquiring  the  habit  of  extempore  speech. 

The  majority  of  those  who  have  succeeded  as  pub- 
lic speakers,  have  taken  considerable  pains  to  perfect 


148  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

themselves  in  oratory.  It  is  related  of  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Cook  by  those  who  know  him  intimately 
that  even  when  a  mere  boy  he  liked  nothing  better 
than  to  go  into  the  open  air  and  speak  extemporane- 
ously on  some  random  subject,  and  all  through  his 
course  of  study  at  the  academy  and  college  he  gave 
particular  attention  to  the  practice  of  oratory.  It  is 
said  that  Henry  Clay  in  early  life  practiced  in  a  barn 
where  the  astonished  cattle  were  his  auditors.  Dur- 
ing many  years  Newman  Hall  spent  fifteen  minutes 
each  day  in  the  practice  of  extempore  speech,  and 
took  his  subject  from  whatever  page  of  his  Bible  to 
which  he  opened  at  random.  The  example  of 
Demosthenes  is  so  often  adduced  as  to  be  threadbare, 
but  yet  no  example  is  more  pertinent;  for  he  has 
stood  in  all  ages  as  the  acknowledged  master  of  elo- 
quence. It  was  by  the  utmost  diligence  he  became 
such.  You  will  remember  how  he  spoke  before  the 
waves  of  the  surging  sea,  that  the  roar  of  a  multitude 
might  cease  to  be  terrifying;  you  will  remember  how 
he  overcame  shortness  of  breath  and  an  impediment 
in  speech  by  running  up  hill  and  articulating  words 
with  pebbles  in  his  mouth.  Very  pertinently  has 
Cicero  condensed  an  all-important  rule  for  success 
into  a  threefold  practice;  for  when  asked,  "What 
was  the  first  requisite  for  oratory?"  he  replied, 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  149 

"Action."  "What  is  the  second?"  "Action." 
"  What  is  the  third  ?  "  "  Action. " 

But  as  a  general  thing  those  who  take  part  in  a 
prayer-meeting  do  not  contemplate  the  acquisition  ot 
oratory  to  the  extent  in  which  the  masters  of  elo- 
quence have  acquired  it;  they  will  be  content  if  they 
can  speak  upon  a  subject  with  comfort  to  themselves 
and  edification  to  others,  and  offer  prayer  in  such 
phrases  as  shall  indicate  their  sincerity,  and  not  show 
that  they  have  more  zeal  than  knowledge.  Let  us 
enumerate  some  principles  that  may  serve  as  helps  in 
this  direction. 

An  excellent  help  will  be  to  meditate  frequently 
upon  your  subject,  and  even  to  pray  over  it.  This 
will  prove  a  suitable  soil  for  the  reception  of  your 
subject,  out  of  which  shall  grow  the  tree  of  thought, 
with  its  fruit  of  forcible  expression  for  public  speech. 

Then  again  talk  about  your  subject  with  others. 
In  efforts  to  explain  it,  suitable  words  will  come,  and 
with  them  a  fuller  understanding  of  the  subject,  and 
oft  times  new  ideas  from  those  with  whom  you  con- 
verse. Such  exercise,  like  the  whirl  of  the  sling 
before  the  stone  is  cast,  or  the  bend  of  the  bow 
before  the  arrow  flies,  will  give  momentum  to  your 
thought  and  send  it  to  the  brow  of  conviction. 

And   as   you  know  what   the   subject   will  be  on 


I5O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

\vhich  you  desire  to  speak,  gather  up  illustrations 
from  your  own  experience,  from  your  walks  in  daily 
life,  from  your  work  and  business,  and  from  the 
company  you  keep.  Keep  your  eyes  and  ears  open, 
and  you  will  find  "  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the 
running  brooks,  sermons  in  stones,  and  good  in 
everything."  Truly  the  attentive  listener  will  hear 
the  grass  grow,  and  at  every  step  in  life  find  illustra- 
tions that  shall  prove  feathers  to  guide  the  arrow  of 
discourse  in  its  flight,  and  barbs  to  its  head  to  make 
it  stick. 

It  will  be  wise  also  to  read  on  your  subject.  If 
you  digest  and  assimilate  what  you  read,  this  will 
enrich  your  own  thought,  and  make  what  you  shall 
say  all  the  more  valuable.  It  will  also  help  you  to 
more  accurate  expression  in  speech,  if  you  write  on 
your  subject.  "  Reading  maketh  a  full  man,  confer- 
ence a  ready  man,  and  writing  an  exact  man."  But 
if  you  write,  it  should  not  be  with  a  view  to  commit- 
ting it  to  memory;  for  this  will  always  keep  you  in 
bondage,  and  prevent  you  from  acquiring  the  larger 
liberty  of  extempore  speech.  It  was  the  maxim 
of  Pultenay,  the  first  Earl  of  Bath,  that  there  are 
•"  few  orators  who  commence  with  set  speeches,"  and 
in  practicing  on  this  rule  he  became  one  of  the  lead- 
ing speakers  in  Parliament. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  15! 

And  these  various  parts  in  preparation  will  prove 
so  many  steps  by  which  your  subject  shall  work 
itself  down  into  your  own  heart.  The  home  of 
eloquence  is  the  heart;  for  like  music,  poetry  and 
painting,  oratory  springs  from  the  heart.  "  The  great- 
est thoughts  do  not  spring  from  the  understanding, 
but  enter  into  it  from  the  heart  of  man;  the  heart  is 
the  bud  of  the  head."  To  be  devoid  of  feeling  is  to 
be  devoid  of  eloquence.  When  we  feel  deeply,  we 
think  clearly,  and  talk  freely.  "  If  you  wish  me  to 
weep,"  says  Horace,  "  you  must  first  weep  yourself." 
"  My  heart  was  hot  within  me,"  says  the  Psalmist ; 
"while  I  was  musing  the  fire  burned:  then  spake  I 
with  my  tongue."  So  likewise  Jeremiah:  "  But  his 
word  was  in  mine  heart  as  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in 
my  bones,  and  I  was  weary  with  forbearing  and  I 
could  not  stay."  Without  heart  in  them,  thoughts 
may  be  ever  so  clear,  but  they  will  be  lacking  in  that 
warmth  which  eloquence  engenders  ;  they  may 
dazzle,  but  they  will  come  as  cold  as  a  beam  of 
light  from  an  iceberg. 

Another  excellent  rule  for  speech  in  the  prayer- 
meeting  is  this:  be  brief.  This  was  Luther's  sug- 
gestive maxim :  "  Get  up  boldly ;  open  your  mouth 
widely;  be  done  quickly."  If  you  set  out  to  speak 
half  an  hour,  you  might  find  it  very  difficult  to  fill 


152  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

the  time;  but  if  you  get  up  with  something  to  say 
that  you  must  say,  born  of  such  preparation  as  has 
been  indicated,  when  you  have  poured  out  your 
thought,  stop.  When  you  are  through,  have  done. 
There  is  many  a  man  that  does  not  know  when 
to  stop,  but  flies  like  a  wounded  bird  from  bush 
to  bush  till  he  drops  by  sheer  exhaustion.  John 
Bright,  "the  great  commoner,"  when  interviewed 
said,  "the  only  part  of  my  speech  that  I  prepare  in 
set  words  is  the  conclusion.  I  always  know  how 
and  when  I  am  going  to  stop."  Be  content  to  say 
a  few  things  well,  rather  than  many  poorly.  When 
it  shall  become  the  rule  to  speak  as  briefly  as  possible, 
we  shall  find  that  we  have  more  to  say  than  we 
thought  we  had,  that  it  is  easier  to  speak  than 
we  thought  it  was,  and  that  what  we  say  goes 
straighter  to  the  mark  than  we  thought  it  would. 

And  with  reference  to  prayer,  the  same  rules  apply 
as  to  speaking.  Be  brief  in  your  petitions,  seek 
the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  in  the  effort,  pray  in 
the  family  and  in  the  closet,  and  thus  your  voice 
in  prayer  will  not  sound  strange  to  your  ears,  and 
prove  mere  words  of  the  mouth  rather  than  those 
which  have  their  source  in  the  heart.  Have  some 
purpose  in  your  prayer,  something  to  ask  for,  some- 
thing to  rejoice  over,  and  something  to  give  thanks 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  153 

for.  Study  the  models  of  prayer  to  be  found  in 
the  Bible  and  seek  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  their 
petitions. 

A  full  and  comprehensive  prayer  may  include : 
"Adoring  the  glory  and  perfection  of  God;  giving 
thanks  to  him  for  all  his  mercies,  general  and  par- 
ticular, spiritual  and  temporal,  common  and  special, 
above  all,  for  Christ  Jesus,  his  unspeakable  gift,  and 
the  hope  of  eternal  life  through  him ;  making  humble 
confession  of  sin  and  earnest  supplication  for  the 
pardon  of  sin,  for  peace  with  God,  and  for  the  fruit 
of  the  Spirit;  pleading  from  every  principle  war- 
ranted in  Scripture,  from  our  necessity,  and  the 
all-sufficiency  of  God;  and  intercession  for  others, 
the  growth  of  the  church,  the  welfare  of  society,  and 
the  urgent  interests  of  that  community  to  which  we 
immediately  belong."  But  every  prayer  need  not 
include  all  these  particulars,  as  is  evident  from  the 
prayers  of  Scripture;  but  such  parts  as  our  immediate 
object  in  prayer  may  require.  For  the  Bible  gives 
us  three  classes  of  models:  first,  those  that  are  very 
brief,  hardly  more  than  a  sentence,  like  the  publican's 
prayer;  second,  those  of  medium  length,  like  the 
"Lord's  Prayer;"  and  third,  those  of  greater  length, 
like  the  prayer  of  dedication  by  Solomon,  the  con- 


11 


154  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

fession  and  prayer  of  Daniel, — or  the  high-priestly 
prayer  of  the  Lord. 

But  whatever  be  the  result  of  your  attempts  to 
speak  in  public,  do  not  be  discouraged.  Do  not  be 
prevented  from  having  your  say,  though  your  mind 
be  agitated,  and  the  trepidation  promises  to  stick  by 
you  through  life.  The  agitation  of  your  mind  may 
arise  from  constitutional  peculiarities.  It  is  difficult 
to  control  one's  temperament  and  compel  shaking 
knees  to  stand  still.  But  this  will  prove  no  serious 
hindrance  to  your  success  as  a  speaker,  if  you  will 
only  accept  it  as  a  fact,  and  press  forward  with 
invincible  resolution.  Cicero  has  said  of  himself, 
that  "  he  grew  pale  at  the  beginning  of  a  speech,  and 
felt  a  tremor  in  every  part  of  his  frame."  And  of 
his  first  attempt  he  said,  "  I  was  so  intimidated,  that 
(I  speak  it  with  the  highest  sense  of  gratitude) 
Quintus  Maximus  adjourned  the  Court,  when  he  per- 
ceived me  thus  oppressed  and  disabled  with  concern." 
Nor  are  some  of  the  bravest  and  boldest  ministers, 
who  have  seen  years  of  service,  strangers  to  this 
perturbation.  "  I  am  now  an  old  man,"  said  Luther, 
*'  and  have  been  a  long  while  occupied  in  preaching ; 
but  I  never  ascend  the  pulpit  without  a  tremor." 

It  is  a  twice-told  tale.  There  are  none  who  can- 
not become  forcible  speakers,  if  they  set  out4with 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  155 

a  determination  to  conquer,  if  it  takes  all  summer. 
"  The  gods  sell  us  every  thing  for  labor,"  says  an  old 
Greek  proverb.  Intelligent  and  continuous  practice 
will  achieve  success  and  produce  a  certain  measure  of 
freedom.  Perhaps  the  example  of  Mr.  Moody  is  as 
good  as  any  that  can  be  found  in  the  way  of  encour- 
agement. One  could  hardly  have  more  obstacles  in 
the  way  than  he  had.  Mr.  William  Reynolds,  of 
Peoria,  related  the  following  interesting  reminiscence 
at  a  convention  held  in  Canada  three  or  four  years 
ago :  "  The  first  meeting  I  ever  saw  him  at,  was  in  a 
little  old  shanty  that  had  been  abandoned  by  a  saloon- 
keeper. Mr.  Moody  had  got  the  place  to  hold  a 
meeting  in  at  night.  I  went  there  a  little  late;  and 
the  first  thing  I  saw  was  a  man  standing  up,  with 
a  few  tallow  candles  around  him,  holding  a  negro 
boy,  and  trying  to  read  to  him  the  story  of  the 
Prodigal  Son;  and  a  great  many  of  the  words  he 
could  not  make  out,  and  had  to  skip.  I  thought,  if 
the  Lord  can  ever  use  such  an  instrument  as  that  for 
His  honor  and  glory,  it  will  astonish  me.  After  that 
meeting  was  over  Mr.  Moody  said  to  me,  'Reynolds, 
I  have  got  only  one  talent:  I  have  no  education,  but 
1  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  want  to  do  some- 
thing for  Him;  and  I  want  you  to  pray  for  me.'  I 
have  never  ceased  from  that  day  to  this,  morning  and 


156  THE    PRAYER-MEETING 

night,  to  pray  for  that  devoted  Christian  soldier.  I 
have  watched  him  since  then,  have  had  counsel  with 
him,  and  know  him  thoroughly;  and  for  consistent 
walk  and  conversation  I  have  never  met  a  man  to 
equal  him.  It  astounds  me  when  I  look  back  and 
see  what  Mr.  Moody  was  thirteen  years  ago,  and 
then  what  he  is  under  God  to-day — shaking  Scotland 
to  its  very  centre,  and  reaching  now  over  to  Ireland. 
The  last  time  I  heard  from  him,  his  injunction  was, 
'  Pray  for  me  every  day ;  pray  now  that  God  will 
keep  me  humble.'  " 

Public  speaking  at  the  outset  may  prove  like  the 
efforts  of  a  boy  learning  to  skate.  It  is  attended  with 
many  a  fall  and  bruise;  but  presently  that  which  in 
the  beginning  was  so  slow  and  dangerous,  becomes 
safe  and  delightful.  How  well  I  remember  what  a 
pleasure  skating  became  after  I  had  learned  how  to 
skate.  With  what  bounding  joy  I  rushed  forward, 
the  moment  I  caught  sight  of  the  river,  with  what 
eager  haste  I  buckled  on  my  skates,  and  with  what 
ecstacy  of  delight  I  flew  away  over  the  frozen  field  as 
it  lay  beneath  my  feet  like  a  mirror  glittering  in  the 
sun — "  it  was  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  forever." 

Is  not  the  experience  of  Mr.  Moody  something 
like  this?  It  cannot  now  be  otherwise  than  the 
greatest  joy  for  him  to  speak  with  such  freedom, 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  157 

power,  and  perfect  command  of  himself  and  his  audi- 
ence. Be  content  to  fail  a  number  of  times,  if  that  is 
necessary,  but  "  don't  give  up  the  ship."  Be  encour- 
aged by  his  noble  example,  and  no  longer  let  "  I  dare 
not  wait  upon  I  would :  " 

"  I  would,  but  cannot  sing, 
I  would,  but  cannot  pray," 
I  would,  but  cannot  speak. 

With  reasonable  effort  and  perseverance,  we  shall 
conquer  a  reasonable  and  enjoyable  fluency  in 
speech  and  prayer — not  for  its  own  sake,  but  that  as 
living  witnesses  to  the  power  of  truth,  God  may  take 
our  words  and  make  them  suitable  instruments  of  per- 
suasion to  the  edification  of  the  church,  the  conversion 
of  sinners,  and  the  advancement  of  His  Kingdom. 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 
How  TO  SECURE  ATTENDANCE. 

In  many  of  our  churches  there  is  the  largest  attend- 
ance in  the  morning;  the  evening  service  is  left  to 
take  care  of  itself.  And  if  this  is  so  for  the  Sabbath, 
what  shall  we  say  for  the  prayer-meeting?  The 
audience  rooms  of  the  churches  are  all  too  large,  and 
only  those  are  used  for  the  Wednesday  evening  meet- 
ings where  no  lecture-rooms  are  attached.  The 
prayer-meeting  in  the  main  room  of  the  church 
would  simply  be  lost,  and  the  leader,  like  Diogenes, 
would  have  to  take  a  lantern  in  order  to  hunt  up  the 
people  and  find  where  to  stand  while  conducting  the 
exercises. 

This  statement  is  as  true  for  England  as  for  Amer- 
ica. Let  us  adduce  testimony.  "  How  are  the 
prayer-meetings  almost  universally  neglected!" 
says  Spurgeon.  "  Our  own  church  stands  out  like  an 
almost  solitary  green  islet  in  the  midst  of  a  dark, 
dark,  sea;  one  bright  pearl  in  the  depths  of  an  ocean 
of  discord  and  confusion.  Look  at  the  neighboring 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  159 

churches.  Step  into  the  vestry,  and  see  a  smaller 
band  of  people  than  you  would  like  to  think  of, 
assembled  around  the  pastor,  whose  heart  is  dull  and 
heavy.  Hear  one  brother  after  another  pour  out  the 
dull,  monotonous  prayer  that  he  has  said  by  heart 
these  fifty  years;  and  then  go  away  and  say:  '  Where 
is  the  spirit  of  prayer,  where  the  life  of  devotion?' 
Is  it  not  almost  extinct?  Are  not  our  churches 
'fallen,  fallen,  fallen  from  their  high  estate?'  God 
wake  them  up,  and  send  them  more  earnest  and 
praying  men ! " 

But,  if  it  is  the  duty  of  the  pastor  to  preach  on 
Sabbath  evenings,  is  it  not  the  duty  of  the  church  to 
attend?  Is  there  more  room  than  they  can  fill? 
Then  why  did  they  build  the  church  too  large  ?  If  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  have  a  prayer-meeting,  is 
it  not  the  duty  of  all  the  church  members  to  attend 
and  do  their  best  to  make  it  as  successful  as  possible? 

In  a  few  churches,  very  happily,  there  are  found 
the  "  sons  of  thunder "  to  fill  them  with  their  elo- 
quence, and  the  question  with  them  is  not  how  to 
make  the  people  attend,  but  how  to  let  them  in  and 
make  room  for  them.  Now  these  men  of  fire  will 
play  around  the  gilt  rods  of  the  highest  steeples,  and 
those  who  live  in  provincial  towns,  on  the  heath  or 
in  the  backwoods  need  not  look  for  such  displays  to 


l6o  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

fill  their  houses.  Let  them  accept  the  situation  and 
be  content  with  such  good  men  as  the  Lord  shall  be 
pleased  to  send  them.  The.  people  are  not  helpless; 
if  they  will  only  set  to  work,  what  is  to  prevent  them 
from  filling  the  lecture-room  and  the  church  on 
every  occasion?  There  is  nothing  at  all.  "Let  us 
go  up  at  once,  and  possess  it;  for  we  are  well  able  to 
overcome  it. "  In  God's  name  and  with  God's  help 
let  us  hold  and  occupy  the  field.  If  eloquence  is 
lacking,  if  fine  music  is  lacking;  let  us  fall  back  upon 
the  good  old  Gospel  and  our  own  duties  under  it. 
But  be  well  assured,  if  you  allow  one- half  or  one- 
third  of  the  church  to  perform  all  the  duties  of  the 
church,  there  is  but  a  small  blessing  in  store  for 
your  church.  "  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  angel 
of  the  Lord,  curse  ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants 
thereof;  because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty. " 

If  we  cannot  make  the  evening  attendance  on  the 
church  and  the  prayer-meeting  a  self-executing  priv- 
ilege let  us  bring  it  into  the  domain  of  duty.  With 
this  end  in  view  let  the  people  pledge  themselves  to 
attend.  Let  a  covenant  be  prepared  to  emphasize 
the  importance  of  a  full  attendance  in  such  terms  as 
shall  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  case,  and  then  let 
some  judicious  persons  take  it  around  among  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  l6l 

people  for  signatures.  After  these  have  been  secured, 
the  pastor  can  have  the  pledge  printed  on  a  card  and 
a  copy  returned  to  each  signer  with  a  brief  letter 
exhorting  each  to  keep  in  mind  what  has  been 
pledged,  and  to  seek  divine  guidance  in  its  full  per- 
formance. 

Let  us  sketch  an  outline  of  such  a  pledge  : 

We,  the  undersigned,  do  each  and  severally  covenant  together, 
that  the  work  of  God  may  not  suffer  from  our  neglect,  to  faithfully, 
regularly  and  punctually  attend  all  the  public  services  of  the  church 
on  Sabbath  morning  and  evening,  and  also  and  especially  the  meet- 
ing for  prayer  on  the  week-day  evening.  We  agree  that  the  only 
excuses  for  non-attendance  shall  be  such  as  will  approve  themselves 
to  our  conscience  at  the  time,  and  as  we  trust  will  pass  muster  on 
the  great  review  day  above. 

We  also  promise  to  study  the  topic  for  the  prayer-meeting,  and 
take  such  part  in  its  social  worship  as  our  duty  shall  indicate.  We 
are  God's  witnesses,  and  as  such  we  desire  to  speak  and  pray  that 
eventually  our  duty  may  prove  a  pleasure  and  participation  more  a 
privilege  than  an  unwelcome  burden.  But  whether  we  take  part  or 
not,  we  will  not  forsake  "  the  assembling  of  ourselves"  together,  as 
has  been  the  manner  of  some  from  the  beginning,  unless  unavoid- 
able circumstances  prevent  us  from  meeting  with  the  brethren  in 
public  assembly. 

We  also  promise  that  we  will  not  only  come  ourselves,  but  also 
by  the  grace  of  God  helping  us,  we  will  invite  and  endeavor  to 
bring  others  with  us,  that  thus  the  rooms  of  the  church  may  be 
filled  and  the  rich  blessings  of  God's  love  and  mercy  may  be  as 
widely  distributed  in  our  community  as  possible  (Rev.  22  : 17). 

And  we  also  promise  that  if  we  are  absent  from  any  stated  meet- 
ing we  shall  always  be  ready  to  speak  to  our  pastor  or  our  brethren 
in  the  Lord  about  such  absence,  and  that  any  inquiry  into  our 
excuses  by  them  shall  not  give  us  offence,  but  be  thankfully  received 


1 62  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

by  us  and  esteemed  one  of  the  means  whereby  to  provoke  unto  love 
and  good  works. 

All  this  we  covenant  and  agree  in  the  sight  of  God,  who  reads 
our  hearts  and  will  approve  or  condemn  our  motives  according  as 
He  sees  them  to  be  sincere  or  not. 

SIGNED, — _ _ 

In  this  matter  we  need  to  carry  the  standard  pretty 
well  up  to  the  front.  And  no  one  need  doubt  but 
that  such  fidelity  in  the  discharge  of  duties  as  this 
would  secure  among  all  the  members  would  soon  fill 
the  church,  and  wonderfully  stimulate  the  Christian 
zeal  of  all  in  a  community.  In  one  of  the  fierce 
battles  in  the  South,  so  it  is  related,  a  colored  soldier 
stood  with  the  banner  well  up  in  the  front.  An 
officer,  fearing  that  the  ensign  would  be  captured, 
cried  out  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  "  Come  back  with 
that  flag!"  "  Massa,  cap'n,"  the  dusky  hero  re- 
plied, '*  this  yeah  flag  never  go  back ;  bring  up 
dem  men  dar!"  "Dem  men  dar"  came  up  to  the 
support  of  their  colors,  and  turned  the  tide  of  defeat 
into  a  well-earned  victory. 

My  Christian  brother,  carry  the  standard  well  up 
to  the  front,  and  then  bring  up  those  non-attending 
and  nomadic  members  from  the  fields,  the  woods, 
and  the  rear,  into  rank  and  file,  around  the  uplifted 
standard  of  the  Cross — and  who  has  ever  rallied 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  163 

round  an  ensign  more  glorious  and  inspiring? — and 
the  tide  of  battle  will  be  successfully  turned  into  a 
victory  for  every  church  that  is  now  feeble  and 
despondent.  Come  to  the  prayer-meeting  whether 
you  take  part  or  not.  There  may  be  sufficient 
reason  for  your  silence,  but  you  can  always  speak  by 
your  presence.  To  be  always  at  the  prayer-meeting 
is  an  action  as  eloquent  as  any  speech. 

Let  church  attendance  be  the  last  active  out-door 
duty  from  which  you  will  retire.  Have  a  resolute 
mind  and  an  unconquerable  spirit,  and  you  will  live 
all  the  longer  for  such  activity;  and  what  is  more, 
you  will  enjoy  your  old  age,  and  we  shall  hear  little 
about  your  influence  being  lost,  and  you  yourself 
laid  on  the  shelf.  Old  age  need  not  and  should  not 
come  to  thee  to  wither  up  thy  faculties,  and  make 
thy  days  long  and  wearisome.  In  attendance  on  the 
prayer-meeting  be  as  hale  and  tough  as  old  hickory. 
Just  here  we  happen  to  know  what  can  be  done  if 
there  be  first  the  willing  and  decisive  mind.  We 
know  an  entire  family  that  during  two  years  lived 
six  miles  from  church,  and  yet  they  regularly  attended 
the  prayer-meeting,  driving  twelve  miles  to  do  so,  in 
summer  as  in  winter,  in  moonshine  as  in  darkness, 
over  a  dangerous  road.  But  you  live  six  blocks  from 


164  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

church,  and  call  it  far!  Simeon  and  Anna,  when  we 
read  of  them,  were  very  old,  yet  their  daily  attend- 
ance on  the  temple  at  morning  and  evening  sacrifice 
ceased  not  on  that  account.  Simeon  doubtless  found 
it  a  trial  on  his  strength  to  go  up  the  hill  to  the  top 
of  Moriah,  where  stood  the  glorious  temple  of  God ; 
and  it  may  be  that  Anna  found  it  a  sort  of  self- 
denial  to  continue  in  the  temple,  serving  "  God  with 
fastings  and  prayers  night  and  day;"  but,  O  how 
precious  was  their  reward!  Ere  they  withdrew  from 
active  life,  they  were  both  permitted  to  see  the  Lord's 
Anointed,  to  hold  him  lovingly  in  their  arms,  and 
to  speak  of  him  "  to  all  them  that  looked  for  redemp- 
tion in  Jerusalem." 

There  are  many  in  our  churches — and  it  is  delight- 
ful to  see  them — who  are  as  regular  as  the  seasons  in 
attendance  upon  the  public  services  of  God's  house. 
They  have  a  place  there,  and  are  always  in  it,  irre- 
spective of  the  weather, — may  their  tribe  increase. 
If  you  look  for  them  in  their  place  and  see  them  not, 
you  are  either  growing  blind  or  something  like  a 
land-slide  has  taken  place  between  their  house  and 
the  church. 

And  perhaps  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  just 
one  instance  of  the  working  of  the  pledge  for  church 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  165 

and  prayer-meeting  attendance.  It  is  done  with  no 
intention  of  finding  fault  with  the  church  that  origi- 
nated the  method,  but  rather  to  hold  them  up  as  an 
example  of  great  wisdom,  and,  under  the  circumstan- 
ces, to  praise  them  for  the  important  discovery  they 
have  made.  "The  Calvary  Presbyterian  Church"  of 
Springfield,  Mo.,  is  the  leading  church  in  its  Presby- 
tery, and  well-known  for  its  labors  of  love  and  self- 
sacrifice  ;  but  its  members  had  fallen  into  the  habit  so 
common  in  all  our  city  churches,  of  absenting  them- 
selves from  the  evening  services  in  considerable  num- 
bers. Their  pastor-elect,  in  this  view  of  the  case,  felt 
it  to  be  his  duty  to  resign.  But  the  church  would 
not  permit  this,  and  especially  so  when  they  learned 
the  reason.  They  called  a  meeting  of  the  congre- 
gation and  immediately  applied  a  remedy  for  non- 
attendance  in  the  shape  of  a  pledge  which  was  drawn 
up  and  signed :  it  was  handed  to  the  pastor,  and  of 
course  the  ground  of  his  action  was  removed.  He 
then  prefixed  a  letter  to  the  pledge  and  had  both 
printed  together  on  a  card,  so  that  a  copy  might  be 
sent  to  each  one  of  the  original  signers.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  literal  copy  of  that  card : 


1 66  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


"  Brethren,  be  not  weary  in  well-doing." 


Dear 

The  following  Pledge  was  handed  to  me  with  your 
name  signed  to  it.  The  good  Lord  is  pleased  with 
our  vows  made  to  Him,  when  He  sees  us  earnestly  ^ 
trying  to  keep  them.  Believing  that  a  frequent 
reading  of  this  solemn  Pledge  to  which  you  have 
subscribed  your  name  will  assist  you  to  carry  it  out 
I  herewith  send  you  a  copy  of  it.  Please  read  Psalm 
Ixvi.,  12  ;  Psalm  Ixxvi.,  u  ;  Psalm  cxvi.,  14. 


Your  Pastor, 


C.  H.  DUNLAP. 


PLEDGE. 


We  now  pledge  ourselves  to  self-examination  and 
prayer,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  come  into  our 
hearts;  to  seek  His  enlightening  power,  that  we  may 
see  our  duty  as  believers,  and  to  impart  to  us  such 
a  sense  of  our  obligations  to  our  Lord  as  will  enable 
us  to  engage  heartily  in  all  Christian  work,  by  a 
more  regular  attendance  upon  all  the  services  of  the 
sanctuary,  by  the  cultivation  of  the  grace  of  benev- 
olence, and  by  seeking  such  a  spirit  of  love  to  all 
that  we  shall  set  a  watch  upon  our  lips  and  hearts, 
that  all  evil  speaking,  with  all  bitterness,  may  be 
put  away  from  us. 


a 


crq 
:r 


Lo!  I  am  with  you  always." 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  167 

So  far  as  we  know,  the  result  of  this  action  has 
come  up  to  their  most  sanguine  expectations.  The 
evening  services  were  at  once  well  attended,  the  pas- 
tor was  greatly  encouraged — for  to  preach  to  slim 
audiences  in  the  evening  is  the  severest  trial  of  the 
pastor's  duty — the  people  were  delighted  by  the  new 
tokens  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  with  increased  hopefulness  the  work  began  to  go 
forward  in  their  midst.  Both  pastor  and  people  are 
entitled  to  honorable  mention  for  having  so  happily 
and  harmoniously  solved  the  difficulty,  and  their 
discovery  is  one  that  should  not  be  lost  to  the  church 
at  lage. 

"Examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in  the  faith; 
prove  your  own  selves,  how  that  Jesus  Christ  is  in 
you,  except  ye  be  reprobates." — 2  Cor.  13:  5. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

How  PRAYER-MEETINGS  ARE  KEPT  AT  A  WHITE 
HEAT. 

"How  are  prayer-meetings  kept  at  a  white  heat?'' — Corres- 
pondent. 

To  answer  the  above  question  in  a  very  practical 
way,  we  detailed  a  ministerial  reporter  to  visit 
several  of  the  most  successful  prayer-meetings  in 
New  York  and  Brooklyn.  We  transfer  the  follow- 
ing from  his  note-book: 

At  Fulton  Street  noon-day  prayer-meeting,  which 
has  met  every  business  day  at  noon  for  the  past 
twenty  years,  we  found  in  attendance  about  one 
hundred  people,  mostly  business  men.  The  meeting 
began  punctually  at  i  o'clock  to  the  minute.  No 
speech  or  prayer  was  allowed  to  exceed  five  minutes. 
A  portion  of  Scripture,  carefully  prepared  by  a  pre- 
viously appointed  leader,  was  read  and  commented 
on  very  briefly  and  pointedly.  Requests  for  prayer, 
twenty  or  thirty,  were  read  from  the  desk,  others 
were  made  verbally  by  speakers.  Prayers  were 
earnest.  Every  minute  was  occupied.  No  loud  talk- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  169 

ing,  noise  or  excitement,  but  the  deepest  kind  of 
earnestness  was  manifested.  The  assembly  had  the 
appearance  of  a  meeting  of  a  lot  of  earnest  business 
men  who  had  come  together  to  talk  over  some  vital 
business  matter.  The  leading  spirits  of  this  meeting 
are  men  of  conviction;  men  who  are  as  sure  God 
answers  prayer  as  they  are  that  the  sun  is  shining 
above  the  clouds  at  noon  to-day.  Promptness,  eager- 
ness, earnestness,  common  business  sense  applied  to 
religion,  faith,  and  the  consequent  presence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  keep  this  meeting  at  "  white  heat." 

The  prayer-meeting  at  the  Brooklyn  tabernacle  is, 
perhaps,  more  largely  attended  than  any  other  in  the 
world.  We  found  about  two  thousand  people  in 
attendance ;  it  was  a  threefold  meeting,  and  lasts 
from  71^  to  91^  o'clock.  The  first  half  hour  is  spent 
in  congregational  singing — singing  the  hymns  for 
the  following  services:  (This  church  has  no  choir, 
but  is  led  in  its  singing  by  the  organ  and  a  precentor) 
From  8  to  8^  o'clock,  Dr.  Talmage  delivers  a  pre- 
pared and,  to  his  audience,  an  exceedingly  interesting 
"  review  of  the  secular  events  of  the  week  from  a 
religious  standpoint."  This  review  is  gotten  up  in  a 
popular  lecture  style,  and  helps  to  draw  the  crowds. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  lecture  the  audience  has  per- 
mission to  retire  or  remain  for  the  prayer-meeting 
12 


I7O  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

proper.  The  lecture  bait  has  evidently  caught  many. 
Curiosity  is  excited,  so  the  larger  proportion  of  the 
great  audience  remain.  Dr.  Talmage  takes  his  seat 
on  the  front  of  the  platform  and  calls  upon  some 
brother,  who  has  the  gift  to  make  a  brief,  earnest, 
sympathetic  prayer,  to  pray.  The  leader  keeps  the 
reins  well  in  hand:  "I  would  like  to  take  testimony 
to-night  whether  Christianity  is  true  or  not.  The 
Bible  says  that  those  who  are  faithful  Christians  will 
know  that  Christianity  is  true.  There  are  those  here 
whom  you  know  to  be  honest  men;  men  who  would 
scorn  to  bear  false  testimony.  They  have  been 
Christians  for  twenty,  thirty,  fifty  years.  Now,  what 
say  they?  Do  they  know  by  experience  that 
Christianity  is  a  truth?  You  would  take  their  testi- 
mony on  any  other  matter.  There  is  no  judge  in  this 
city  who  would  not  deem  them  capable  witnesses. 
Here  is  a  matter  of  which  they  say  they  have  posi- 
tive knowledge.  They  are  capable  witnesses."  One 
after  another  of  aged  Christians  was  called  upon  to 
bear  testimony  concerning  his  experimental  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  of  the  religion  of  Jesus.  Younger 
men  testified.  Brief  exhortations  by  the  pastor,  and 
others  in  the  same  line  of  thought  followed.  Prayers, 
pointed  and  brief,  were  made  for  the  immediate  con- 
version of  the  unconverted  present.  Then,  those 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

desiring  the  prayers  of  God's  people  were  requested 
to  stand  up.  Fifty  or  more  arose.  After  an  earnest 
prayer  by  the  pastor,  the  meeting  adjourned.  The 
prayer-meeting  proper  lasted  three-quarters  of  an 
hour. 

Here  also  they  have  found  the  secret  of  keeping  a 
prayer-meeting  at  "white  heat." 

— Metropolitan  Pulpit. 


CHAPTER    XX. 
TREATMENT  OF  THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT. 

The  Gospel  needs  of  the  world  are  so  great  and 
important,  that  a  place  for  their  consideration  ought 
to  be  given  them  in  the  scheme  of  topics.  Now  it  is 
so  well  known  that  the  monthly  concert  for  missions 
will  be  a  dry  presentation  of  facts  and  figures,  that 
people  more  readily  stay  away  on  those  evenings 
than  any  other.  We  have  only  to  improve  this  treat- 
ment and  make  it  pleasing,  as  well  as  instructive, 
in  order  to  arouse  the  attention  of  the  church  and 

secure  fuller  attendance.  •> 

T 
We   have  already  adverted  to  a  general  plan  by 

which  the  concert  can  be  made  more  interesting  than 
it  usually  is,  but  some  additional  particulars  may  here 
be  specified  which  shall  give  a  growing  interest  to 
the  monthly  presentation  of  the  missionary  subjects. 
The  concert  should  be  made  the  occasion  for  the 
study  of  history.  I  suppose  none  of  us  know  too 
much  about  the  history  of  lands  other  than  our  own.. 
Each  month  we  have  a  particular  field  under  view^ 
Let  us  investigate  certain  subjects  connected  with 
the  history  of  that  portion  of  the  world,  such  as  its  Ian- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  173 

guage,  literature,  religion,  social  condition,  and  pol- 
itical relations.  Let  us  take  India,  for  example.  We 
may  profitably  study  from  year  to  year  such  subjects 
as  these  :  The  history  of  India  from  the  earliest 
times;  the  importance  of  the  discovery  of  the  new 
way  to  India  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope;  the  char- 
tering of  the  East  India  Company  by  Queen  Eliza- 
beth; the  licence  granted  to  this  company  by  the 
Great  Mogul  to  establish  a  trading-post  in  India; 
the  steps  by  which  this  populous  and  extended  region 
was  opened  for  the  Gospel;  the  rule  of  the  East 
India  Company;  the  impeachment  of  Warren  Hast- 
ings; how  was  their  opposition  to  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  finally  overcome?  the  struggle  over  renewal 
of  charter  in  -1813;  the  Crimean  War  and  its  results; 
the  Sepoy  Rebellion;  the  extinction  of  the  Com- 
pany's rule  and  the  elevation  of  Victoria  as  sovereign 
of  India  in  1858;  her  elevation  to  be  Empress  of  India 
in  1877;  the  civilization  of  India  under  British  rule; 
the  labors  of  this  and  that  missionary  in  India,  etc. 

Nor  will  it  be  out  of  place  to  devote  time  to  the 
study  of  geography  in  its  two  branches  of  physical 
and  descriptive — the  climate  and  the  products  of  the 
soil  in  their  relation  to  civilization  and  religion — hin- 
drances in  the  way  of  civilizing  Africa  from  climate — 
is  not  a  more  moderate  or  colder  climate  more  favor- 
able?— the  explorations  and  discoveries  of  Living- 


174  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

stone  and  Stanley  in  Africa — physical  geography  as 
modified  by  human  action.  Thus  in  China,  at  the 
present,  the  lamentable  famine  by. which  thousands 
are  perishing  has  been  caused'  by  the  destruction  of 
the  forests  in  that  sadly-stricken  region.  In  former 
times,  the  hills  which  "  fringe  that  vast  pla'teau,  now 
the  seat  of  famine,  were  covered  with  thick  woods. 
They  have  been  entirely  cleared.  From  Pekin  to 
Hankow,  a  distance  of  700  miles,  scarcely  a  tree  or 
shrub  is  to  be  seen."  As  a  result  of  such  wasteful 
destruction,  70,000,000  of  people  in  this  thickly  settled 
region  are  in  want  of  food,  and  some  9,000,000  of 
them  are  actually  starving.  This  is  a  lesson  that 
should  not  be  lost  on  the  people  of  the  United  States. 
"Woodman,  spare  that  tree." 

Again,  the  concert  will  give  excellent  opportunity 
for  the  study  of  comparative  religion.  There  are 
about  a  dozen  different  religions  of  mankind.  What 
are  the  distinctive  features  of  each?  Five  of  these, 
for  example,  are  found  in  India — Brahminism,  Mo- 
hammedanism, Buddhism,  Chrstianity  and  Parsee- 
ism.  The  three  essentially  missionary  religions  of 
the  world — Christianity,  Mohammedanism  and  Budd- 
hism— are  here  confronting  each  other,  and  struggling 
for  supremacy.  What  will  be  the  result?  By  meth- 
ods of  research  like  these,  we  shall  become  better 
acquainted  with  the  moral  condition  of  the  great  un- 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  175 

Christian  world,  and  the  churches  will  be  progressively 
enlightened  about  its  immediate  and  pressing  needs. 

And  finally,  a  brief  presentation  of  what  is  being 
accomplished  yearly  in  each  field  will  be  useful  to 
awaken  an  interest  and  give  it  intelligent  direction; 
and  from  such  knowledge  of  struggles  and  hindrances, 
defeats  and  triumphs,  hopes  and  encouragements,  the 
church  will  learn  better  both  how  to  pray  and  how  to 
contribute. 

The  annual  recurrence  of  the  same  missionary 
fields  should  not  call  for  a  repetition  of  the  same 
thoughts,  but  should  afford  the  occasion  for  the  pro- 
gressive presentation  of  new  lines  in  history,  religion, 
geography,  government  and  achievements.  To  re- 
vive a  missionaiy  zeal  in  the  churches,  we  need  only 
to  pour  in  a  flood  of  light  upon  these  subjects,  and  as 
a  result,  under  the  divine  blessing,  such  a  prayerful 
interest  will  be  maintained  in  the  world-wide  diffusion 
of  the  Gospel  as  shall  advance  the  cause  of  truth 
both  at  home  and  abroad. 

"  Watchman,  tell  me  does  the  morning 

Of  fair  Zion's  glory  dawn  ; 
Have  the  signs  that  mark  His  coming 

Yet  upon  my  pathway  shone  ? 
Pilgrim,  yes,  arise,  look  round  thee, 

Light  is  breaking  in  the  skies; 
Spurn  the  unbelief  that  bound  thee, 

Morning  dawns,  arise,  arise!  " 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
LAYING  OUT  WORK. 

It  has  been  claimed  by  an  English  clergyman,* 
that  the  church  of  to-day  has  lost  its  early  and  prac- 
tical character,  and  hence  fails  to  accomplish  her  full 
work.  He  objects  that  it  is  all  preaching  and  no  work. 
"  The  kind  of  meeting  to  which  this  pointed  (Heb. 
jo:  24,  25)  was  a  meeting  in  which  everybody  who 
chose  had  a  voice,  in  which  everybody  who  had  any 
advice  or  information  or  exhortation  to  give  was  free 
to  give,  and  was  expected  to  give  it."  "  To  provoke 
unto  love  and  good  works,"  to  consider  one  another, 
to  take  steps  for  the  relief  of  their  poor,  the  succor  of 
their,  sick,  the  instruction  of  the  young,  the  conversion 
of  their  heathen  friends,  the  advancement  of  their 
faith,  the  promotion  of  every  scheme  which  an  enthu- 
siastic philanthropy  suggested  for  making  the  world 
better  and  happier, — this  was  the  business  which 
brought  them  together.  They  did  not  meet  as  we 
do  to  sing  psalms,  pray  and  hear  a  sermon,  and  go 

*Rev.  J.  Service. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  177 

away  home  till  next  Sunday.  Their  meetings  did 
not  end  as  ours  regularly  and  systematically  do,  in 
nothing  at  all.  And  so,  he  reasons,  we  ought  to 
introduce  a  more  popular  and  practical  element  into 
our  service.  "  If  we  were  united,"  he  goes  on  to  say, 
"  in  the  loosest  sort  of  way,  united  as  a  congregation 
in  an  endeavor  to  further  Christian  objects,  to  relieve 
the  poor,  to  comfort  the  sick,  to  instruct  the  ignorant, 
to  reclaim  the  erring,  to  remove  temptation  out  of  the 
way  of  the  young,  to  promote  decency,  sobriety, 
honesty,  truth,  gentleness, — if  we  were  ever  so  loosely 
united  as  a  congregation  in  this  endeavor,  it  is  impos- 
sible, being  as  many  as  we  are,  that  we  should  not 
accomplish  something,  Now  if  there  were  this  kind 
of  business  first,  and  devotion  followed,  or  if  business 
and  devotion  were  somehow  combined  in  the  order 
of  our  Sunday  services,  we  should  have  what  gives 
zest  to  meetings  for  other  and  inferior  purposes, — the 
sense  that  we  are  dealing  with  what  is  immediate  and 
of  practical  utility  to  ourselves  and  others.  Were  we 
able  to  report  to-day  that  some  work  for  the  poor,  or 
the  sick,  or  the  ignorant,  or  the  tempted  had  been 
done  by  us  since  last  Sunday,  or  had  we  now  met  to 
spend  part  of  our  time  in  considering  what  work  of 
that  kind  might  be  attempted  by  us  this  week,  I 
need  not  say  our  meeting  would  be  more  lively,  for 


178  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

one  tiling,  than  our  meetings  usually  are,  and  not  the 
least  so  in  respect  of  our  devotion.  In  carrying  on 
our  work  the  practical  and  useful  would  come  to  the 
aid  of  devotion;  devotion  would  aid  work;  we  should 
meet  difficulties,  and  pray  the  better  on  account  of 
them ;  we  should  have  some  success,  and  because  of 
it  sing  a  more  hearty  song."  This  he  contends  was 
the  purpose  for  which  the  primitive  Christians  came 
together  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and  this  was 
the  nature  of  their  worship — a  meeting  in  which  all 
had  a  voice  for  the  transactions  of  business,  for  report- 
ing what  had  been  done  and  for  suggesting  what 
might  be  done  on  the  coming  week;  and  hence  they 
were  so  successful  and  grew  in  number  so  rapidly. 

Now  this  criticism  might  be  more  applicable  to  a 
church  which  held  no  week-day  meetings  for  con- 
ference, prayer  and  exhortation,  without  a  Sabbath 
school,  and  with  a  changing  congregation.  We  are 
thankfully  to  receive  every  suggestion  that  might  aid 
a  church  to  do  more  than  it  is  doing  for  Christ  and 
humanity — and  there  is  probably  no  church  but  might 
do  a  little  more  than  it  is  doing — but  with  the  various 
meetings  and  schools  which  we  have,  there  is  less 
occasion  for  any  change  in  the  order  and  nature  of  our 
public  services  on  the  Sabbath.  The  church  is  a 
continuous  organization  and  does  not  pass  out  of 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  1/9 

existence  when  her  members  go  home  to  dine,  or 
when  the  doors  are  closed  at  night  for  another  week. 
And  there  is  not  so  much  change  in  the  congregation 
either,  except  in  the  larger  cities;  so  that  the  great 
majority  of  our  churches  are  continuous  organizations 
for  work.  We  have  the  Sabbath  school  for  instruc- 
tion and  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  facts, 
and  principles  of  the  Bible.  There  remains,  then,  a 
need  for  just  such  pulpit  ministrations  as  are  now 
given  on  the  Lord's  Day,  that  thus  the  Spirit  of  God 
may  make  "  the  preaching  of  the  Word  an  effectual 
means  of  convincing  and  converting  sinners,  and  of 
building  them  up  in  holiness  and  comfort,  through 
faith,  unto  salvation." 

In  some  churches  there  are  industrial  schools 
where  the  young  are  regularly  instructed  in  certain 
departments  of  home  work,  in  neatness  and  cleanli- 
ness, and  when  cases  of  want  and  distress  occur,  they 
are  looked  after  and  relieved,  and  not  only  kind  words 
are  spoken,  but  also  something  to  wear  is  given. 

In  most  churches  the  ladies  meet  weekly  fi'om 
house  to  house  for  prayer  and  conference.  The 
neighbors  are  invited  in  to  participate,  and  in  this  way 
strangers  are  reached  and  new  opportunities  for  doing 
good  are  discovered.  And  then  there  are  the  weekly 
prayer-meetings  of  the  church,  which  present 


l8o  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

» 

abundant  opportunity  for  doing  just  such  work,  or 
planning  for  it,  as  was  suggested  for  the  Sunday 
service,  and  which,  it  seems  to  us,  is  more  appropriate 
for  such  a  time  and  meeting. 

We  might,  perhaps,  with  great  advantage  to  our- 
selves, introduce  this  feature  into  our  prayer-meetings 
for  a  few  minutes,  or  so  many  as  should  be  needed, 
might  be  allotted  for  this  purpose  towards  the  close 
of  the  meeting,  in  which  members  might  report  what 
Christian  work  they  had  done,  or  were  doing, 
whether  they  had  been  helpful  to  any,  or  had  tried 
to  be,  to  relieve  the  poor,  to  comfort  the  sick,  to 
reclaim  the  erring,  to  remove  temptation  from  the 
young,  to  promote  the  many  good  works  for  lack  of 
which  humanity  lies  suffering  and  bleeding,  and  to 
suggest  what  might  be  done  while  the  week  is  still 
in  progress;  for  in  all  these  respects  the  church  may 
prove  herself  a  power  for  good  in  every  community, 
and  a  fountain  from  which  shall  flow  streams  of 
blessing,  sweetness  and  kindness.  But  in  recounting 
work  of  this  kind  it  would  be  very  needful — and  one 
could  not  be  too  careful, — to  avoid  the  Pharisaic 
spirit,  as  illustrated  by  the  parable  of  the  Pharisee 
and  the  Publican,  Luke  18:  9-14.  But  when  the 
Christian  is  eaten  up  with  zeal  for  the  Lord's  house 
and  the  Lord's  work,  he  will  run  to  and  fro  on  the 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  l8l 

Lord's  business  and  esteem  the  service  a  gladsome 
privilege. 

There  are  also  other  branches  for  beneficence  in  the 
machinery  of  the  church — wheels  within  wheels — 
such  as  missionary  bands,  societies  and  officers  in  the 
church.  These  are  set  as  watchmen  upon  the  walls 
of  our  church  that  they  may  more  readily  discern 
what  is  useful  and  needful  to  do  and  to  be  done.  We 
cannot,  then,  with  so  many  arms  and  hands  for  work, 
complain  of  their  lack,  but  rather  of  our  failure  to 
reach  them  out  in  as  many  helpful  directions  as  the 
suffering  needs  of  humanity  require.  Yes,  the  church 
is  an  organization  for  work.  We  are  to  be  helpful  to 
one  another  both  spiritually  and  temporally.  The 
church  is  the  grandest  of  all  organizations,  because 
it  is  the  body  of  Christ;  and  if  there  is  any  society 
that  claims  to  be  useful,  the  church  should  be  all  that 
and  more. 

We  should  have  a  watchful  interest  in  each  other, 
in  the  children  and  youth  of  the  congregation,  and 
ever  seek  to  improve  them,  ever  seek  to  help  them  in 
honorable  and  needful  ways,  so  that  they  may  be 
able  to  help  themselves,  and  in  their  turn  to  be  able 
to  help  others.  When  any  one  is  out  of  employment 
and  in  need  of  place  and  work,  we  should  be  ready 
with  kind  words,  hopeful,  sympathy  and  actual  solici- 


182  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

tation  in  their  behalf.  The  true  economy  of  life  is  to 
help  others  in  such  a  way  that  they  can  help  them- 
selves. It  is  not  so  much  charity  they  need  as  work 
and  compensation. 

Now  it  may  be  easier  to  send  your  money  to  the 
heathen,  and  delegate  others  to  do  good  for  you,  than 
to  take  such  personal  interest  in  those  right  about 
you,  that  when  they  are  in  pressing  need  their  wants 
shall  receive  immediate  attention.  And  so  it  is  re- 
ported of  a  wealthy  firm  in  one  of  the  great  cities  of 
the  land,  the  members  of  which  are  pillars  in  a 
church — whose  integrity  no  man  questions — that  they 
had  had  a  man  in  their  service  until  he  became  old 
and  sick,  and  being  unable  to  work,  they  stopped  his 
salary,  and  he  and  his  family  were  brought  to  the 
verge  of  starvation.  Their  attention  was  called  to  his 
condition,  and  a  few  dollars  were  sent  for  his  relief; 
but  it  was  a  mere  mite  in  contrast  wih  their  munifi- 
cent contributions  to  the  charities  of  their  church;  and 
had  it  not  been  for  the  aid  and  sympathy  of  his  fellow- 
clerks,  he  would  have  died,  and  received  burial  as  a 
pauper.  As  it  was,  through  their  benevolence,  the 
old  man  was  supported  comfortably  while  he  lived, 
and  in  death  received  those  kindly  attentions  which 
the  heart  loves  to  bestow  on  the  objects  of  its  care. 
The  giving  of  large  sums  of  money  to  a  public  charity 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  183 

attracts  more  notice  and  gains  more  fame  than  giving 
it  for  the  benefit  of  some  poor  gamin — some  Peter, 
John,  or  Paul — that  has  fallen  among  thieves  on  the 
road  to  Jericho.  While  so  much  money  is  sent  to  the 
bushmen  of  Africa  or  elsewhere,  is  there  no  one  to 
take  a  personal  interest  in  the  tramp  on  the  road  to 
Jericho,  the  roustabout  on  a  Mississippi  steamer,  the 
waif  of  the  street  whose  home  is  a  dry-goods  box,  or 
the  orphan  that  sweeps  the  crossings,  and  begs  a 
penny  from  my  lord  or  lady  as  they  pass  on  dry-shod 
and  unsoiled.  It  is  so  much  easier  to  weep  over 
pictured  misery  in  the  South  Sea  Islands,  than  shed 
tears  over  the  boot-black  in  your  own  city,  whose 
scant  earnings  may  buy  bread  and  butter  for  some 
invalid  mother  or  destitute  sister.  We  all  need  to 
read  and  lay  to  heart  the  Parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  (Luke  10:  30-37). 

The  prayer-meeting  will  afford  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  of  just  such  cases  as  need  help,  work 
and  sympathy.  But  if  it  be  not  proper  to  make  such 
business  a  part  of  its  exercises,  it  certainly  will  not  be 
out  of  place  to  spend  five  or  ten  minutes  after  the 
close  of  each  meeting  in  social  intercourse  about  such 
charitable  work  as  the  church  ought  to  undertake 
and  prosecute.  How  easy  it  would  be  in  this  way  to 
engender  and  stimulate  a  zeal  for  the  thorough  visita- 


184  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

tion  of  the  district  in  which  the  church  is  located,  in 
order  to  discover  both  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  neighboring  community.  How  easy  it 
would  be  to  create  an  enthusiasm  in  works  of  benev- 
olence, if  such  opportunity  were  given  in  connection 
with  the  discovery  of  •  wants  and  the  comparison  of 
notes.  How  easy  it  would  be  to  fill  up  our  churches, 
our  Sabbath-schools  and  our  prayer-meetings.  It  is 
not  the  ability  that  we  lack,  so  much  as  the  inclination 
and  the  zeal.  God  will  give  all  the  grace  that  such 
undertakings  require  as  fast  as  the  grace  He  has 
already  given  is  used.  Look  at  the  zeal  of  Moody 
when  a  young  convert.  "  His  first  effort  was  to  hire 
four  pews  in  Plymouth  Church,  Chicago,  and  keep 
them  full  of  young  men  every  Sunday;"  and  then 
next,  to  fill  up  a  mission  school  on  the  North  Side, 
and  he  has  kept  at  this  business  of  filling  up  churches 
ever  since. 

"  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his  right 
hand,  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  from  the  foundation  of  the  world: 
for  I  was  an  hungered  and  ye  gave  me  meat;  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink:  I  was  a  stranger  and 
ye  took  me  in;  naked  and  ye  clothed  me;  I  was  sick 
and  ye  visited  me;  I  was  in  prison  and  ye  came  unto 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  185 

me.  Then  shall  the  righteous  answer  him,  saying 
Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  fed  thee? 
or  thirsty  and  gave  thee  drink?  When  saw  we  thee  a 
stranger,  and  took  thee  in?  Or  naked  and  clothed 
thee?  or  when  saw  we  thee  sick,  or  in  prison,  and 
came  unto  thee?  And  the  King  shall  answer  and 
say  unto  them,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  inasmuch  as 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me." — Matt.  25: 

34— 4°- 


13 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

HINTS  NEW  AND  OLD. 

The  following  hints  have  been  selected  by  way 
of  review,  and  to  emphasize  some  things  of  chief 
value  to  be  looked  after  in  the  conduct  of  the  prayer- 
meeting.  "  To  every  man  his  work."  "  England 
expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty."  "  Go  work  to- 
day in  my  vineyard." 

/.     Attendance,  &c. 

1.  Arrange  your  affairs  so  as  to  attend  the  prayer- 
meeting,  and  be  sure  to  come,  unless  under  the  same 
circumstances  you  would  have  to  break  a  social  or 
business  engagement. 

2.  Come  yourself.     Bring  your  children.     "The 
prayer-meeting  is  not  complete  without  the  children,, 
any  more  than  the  family  circle." 

3.  If   you    are   entertaining    friends,   bring    your 
visitors  with   you,  and   let  the  church   give  them  a 
rousing  social  welcome  after  the  meeting  is  closed. 

4.  Bring  some  unconverted  friend  with  you,  and 
pray    for   a   blessing  upon   him  before   the    meeting 
closes. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  187 

5.  Come  early,  if  possible;  if  not,  come  late;  but 
by  all  means  come  early. 

6.  Come  to  the  meeting  in   the  spirit  of  prayer, 
and  with   the   desire  to  take  a  part,  should  time  and 
opportunity  be  given.     "  Those   meetings  have  been 
the  best  that  have  been  preceded  by  the  most  prayer." 

7.  Let  the  seats  in  front  and  near  the  leader  be 
taken  first.     Sit  side  by  side,  and  if  there  are  to  be 
any  vacant    chairs,   let   them  be  in  the  rear  of  the 
room.     There  is  no  rule  for  the  success  of  religious 
meetings  that  Christians  are  slower  to  act  upon  than 
this — always  to    fill  the   front  seats  first  and  closely 
pack  them.    .It  seems  a  trivial  thing,  but  it  is  a  matter 
of    prime    importance.       What    kind    of  sociability 
would  there  be  in  a  house  if  a  dozen  guests  should 
sit  down  each  in  a  room  by  himself,  and  then  try  to 
talk  and  be  social  through  the  doors  and  across  the 
hall.      Scatter  the  embers    and  they  go   out;    draw 
them  together  and  they  burn  and  glow.     The  fingers 
in  a   mitten  warm   each  other;  in  a  glove  they  are 
chilled  by  separation. 

8.  Never  give  a  concert,  lecture,  or  other  enter- 
tainment  the   preference  if  they  come  on  the  same 
evening  as    the   prayer-meeting.       Let   the   prayer- 
meeting  be  first. 

9.  Study  and   pray  over  the  topic  for  the  week, 


1 88  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

that  you  may  fill  your  mind  with  its  precious  truth, 
and  make  the  prayer-meeting  itself  a  theme  of  fre- 
quent conversation  with  your  family  and  friends  dur- 
ing the  week. 

10.  Open  and- close  the  meeting  promptly.    If  any 
indulgence  is  to  be  made,  let  it  be  in  favor  of  a  shorter 
rather  than  a  longer  session. 

11.  Occasionally  devote  five  minutes  or  so  at  the 
close  of  the  meeting  for  reports  on  work,  or  -for  new 
plans  for  work.    There  should  also  be  an  opportunity 
given  somewhere  in  every  meeting  for  a  man  to  speak 
or  pray  whose  heart  is  full   and  must  find  utterance, 
whether  he  is  down  on  the  programme  or  not. 

12.  Carefully  exclude  controversy  and  contradic- 
tion.    The  prayer-meeting  is  not  a  debating  society. 

13.  As  the  weekly  prayer-meeting  is  the  gather- 
ing together  of  the  household  of  Christ  for  growth  in 
grace,  for  worship,  and  for  mutual  sympathy,  let  all 
restraint,    formality    and    criticism    be   left    outside. 
Don't  let  them  cross  the  threshold.     See  Heb.  4  :  16. 

14.  But  if  all  your  efforts  to  wake  up  the  mind  of 
the   church   to   the   importance  of  prompt  and   full 
attendance  on  the  prayer-meeting  should  fail,  intro- 
duce  the  "League  and   Covenant"  for  attendance; 
and  if  that  will  not  secure  the  hoped-for  result,  you 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  189 

may   conclude   that    you    have   sufficient   reason    as 
pastor  to  seek  a  different  field  of  labor. 

//.      Variety. 

In  order  not  to  have  any  monotony  in  the  exercises 
from  week  to  week,  it  will  be  wise  to  change  them, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  have  the  meetings,  as  they 
proceed,  vary  as  to  their  nature.  We  place  here 
what  has  previously  been  given  on  this  head. 

1.  Conduct  the   meeting  in  the  usual  way.     Cus- 
tom has  endeared  it,  and  it  may  be  really  valuable. 

2.  If  the  topic  be  suitable,  use  it  as  the  theme  for 
a  Bible  reading. 

3.  Have  a  set  programme,  in  which  you   have  a 
place  for  one  or  two  old  men,  for  one  or  two  middle- 
aged  men,  and  for  one  or  two  young  men,  who  have 
promised  to  attend  and  speak  to  the  topic.     Arrange 
also  for  two  or  three  to  pray  for  some  urgent  want  of 
the  church  and  congregation. 

4.  Announce  for  the  next  meeting  that  everything 
shall  be  voluntary,  and  just  as  soon  as  the  topic  has 
been  developed,  and  the  supply  of  participants  ceases, 
stop  the  meeting,  though  you  are  but  half  through 
the  hour;  at  all  events,  don't  run  beyond  the  time. 

5.  If  you  have  a  missionary  topic,  arrange  for  the 
reading  of  several  letters,  essays,  etc. 


190  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

6.  If  the  season  be  suitable,  arrange  for  a  praise 
meeting,  a  promise  meeting,  a  seed-time   meeting,  a 
"  harvest-home "  meeting,  a  memorial   or   Ebenezer 
meeting,  and  the  like. 

7.  Occasionally   have    a  new    leader   conduct   the 
meeting.     Such  variety  as  this  would   introduce  into 
the  meetings  would  give  life,  animation  and  interest 
to  them.     The  people  would   assemble  each  time  in 
expectation  of  something  new,  and  in  this  would  not 
be  disappointed. 

///.     Procedure.  • 

1.  "How  is   it    then,   brethren,  when    ye    come 
together?  "    "  Let  everything  be  done  unto  edifying." 

2.  How  can   we    cherish   a  sense  of  the  Divine 
Presence  in  every  meeting?     Do  we  expect  Christ  to 
meet  with  us?     How  can  we  secure  the  aid  and  co- 
operation of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  without  Him  our 
meeting  will   be   in  vain,  and    worse    than   in    vain? 
As  aids  to  an  answer,  we  ought  to  read,  ponder  and 
pray  over  such  texts  of  Scripture  as  these:  Matt.  18: 
19,   20;    Hos.    10:12;    Hab.   3:2;  Zech.  4:6;  Mark 
1:24;    Rom.    8  .-26,  27;  Eph.  5  : 18;  Jas.  5:  16;  and 
Luke  1 1 :  19-13.     Ought  not  the  prayers,  then,  at  the 
opening  of  the  meeting  to  be  burdened  with  petitions 
that  God  will  hear  us  and  grant  us  the  presence  of 
His  Son  and  His  Spirit? 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  1 9! 

3.  Brevity   in   remarks    and   prayers    is    essential 
both  to  the  interest  of  the  meeting  and  its  prompt 
dismissal.     It  is  well  to  have  as  large  a  number  as 
possible  participate,  so  that,  while  the  exercises  have 
unity,  they  may  not  lack  variety.     Lengthy  remarks 
generally  become  prosy,  and  long  prayers  are  a  de- 
parture from  the  models  given  in   the    Bible.     The 
prayer  of  Solomon  at   the  dedication  of  the  temple — 
perhaps  the   longest   prayer  in   the  Bible — did   not 
occupy    much   over   five    minutes.      "  But  when   ye 
pray,  use  not  vain  repetitions  as  the  heathen  do:  for 
they  think  that  they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much 
speaking."     Experience  has  shown  that  from  three  to 
five  minutes,  on  an  average,  is  as  much  time  as  each 
one  ought  to  use  in  taking  part ;  and  hence  an  address 
should  make  up  in  quality  for  what  it  lacks  in  quan- 
tity.    Brevity  will    require   condensation,  point   and 
application  to  our  petitions,  and  unction  in  our  devo- 
tion. 

4.  When  you  speak   or  pray,  be  sure   to   speak 
loud  enough  for  all  to  hear  you. 

5.  Inasmuch  as  in  some  of  the  denominations  the 
ladies  are  silent,  except  as  heard  in  song,  why  may 
not  such  present  their  thoughts  from  time  to  time  in 
brief  essays,  to  be  read  by  the  pastor  or  some  of  the 
brethren  in  the  prayer-meeting?     Such  a  custom  in 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

these  churches  would  tend  to  cultivate  the  various 
orders  of  Christian  talent,  and  give  us  the  benefit  of 
womanly  prudence,  piety  and  wisdom. 

6.  Ought  not  "  scolding  "  to  be  carefully  avoided  ? 
Does  it  pay  to  scold  those  who  are  present,  because 
others   are   absent?     I   know   of  a  case   where   the 
church  was  just  emptied  by  a  minister  scolding  those 
who  came  because  others  kept  away.     If  things  do 
not  go  right,  take  them  to  the  Lord  in  prayer.     That 
will  kindle  a  fire  in  the  pulpit,  that  will  kindle  a  fire 
in  the  pew,  and  make  the  house  comfortable.     Praise 
what  is  commendable,  and   let  us  all,  in  the  spirit  of 
Heb.    10:  24,  25,    cultivate   a   more   fervent   type   of 
piety. 

7.  How    can   we  avoid  the   "  long  pauses "  that 
drag   and  spoil  a   meeting?      By    each   one  having 
something  to  say  or  read,  which  he  cannot  permit 
the   meeting  to   close   without  hearing.     We  ought 
to  be  willing  to  speak  for  Christ,  even  if  we  cannot 
imitate  the   accent   of    Cicero   or   the    eloquence   of 
Demosthenes.      If  we  will  only  tell  what  we  feel,  we 
shall  all  be  eloquent  enough,  and  glorify  God  in  the 
way  pleasing  to  Him. 

8.  If  our  hearts  are  only  full,  we  shall  hardly  be 
able  to  wait  for  our  turn.     Go  to  an  exchange  where 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  193 

stocks  are  sold,  and  listen  to  the  brokers  all  bidding- 
at  once,  and  learn  the  secret. 

9.  In  moments  of  deep  solemnity,  it  is  very  proper 
to  give  a  moment  or  two  to  silent  prayer.     At  the 
revival    meetings   conducted   by    our   dear   brethren, 
Major  Whittle  and  Mr.  Bliss,  in  our  city  in  the  Fall 
of  1876,  I  was   much  impressed   with   this   custom,, 
which  they  repeatedly  used,  and  I  am  convinced  that 
it  did  much  good.     During  those  moments  of  silent 
prayer,  the  house  was  so  still  that  you  could    have 
heard  a  pin  drop;  yes,  you  could  almost  have  heard1 
your  heart  beat. 

10.  Let  us  enter  into  the  spirit  of  the  meeting- 
Sing  "  with  grace  in  your  heart  to  the  Lord."     Each 
prayer  becomes  our  own  if  we  follow  it  understand- 
ingly,  and  add  to  it  a  silent  or  audible  "  amen." 

11.  Do  not  wander  from  the  topic,  and  begin  a 
rehash  of  what  you  have  said  before  a  dozen  times  or 
so.     A  new  topic  each  week  admits  of  new  thought, 
illustration  and  experience. 

12.  Have    you    no    written    requests    for   special 
piayer  to  bring  to  the  prayer-meeting?     If  you  have, 
hand  these  to  the  pastor,  before  the  meeting.     "  If 
you  have  a  special  object  of  desire,  ask  others  to  join 
with  you  in  seeking  it.     '  If  two  of  you  shall  agree.* 


IQ4  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

Ask  for  something;  give  thanks  for  something;  have 
a  point  in  your  prayer." 

13.  And  when  you  receive  the   answer   to   your 
prayer,  do  not  fail  to  speak  of  it,  for  this  encourages 
others  to  pray,  and  confirms  their  faith. 

14.  Is  it  proper  to  cultivate  the  spirit  of  friendli- 
ness ?     If  you  are  early  and  notice  strangers,  seek  an 
introduction,  or  introduce  yourself,  and  speak  to  them 
in  words  of  welcome.     Cannot  you  spend  a  few  min- 
utes after  the  close  of  the  meeting  for  hand-shaking 
and  the  exchange  of  greetings  with  your  friends  and 
neighbors  ?     Shake  hands  with  as  many  as  possible, 
and  in  every  proper  way  cultivate  the  spirit  of  socia- 
bility.     Why  are  you  in  such  a  hurry  to  go  home 
from  the  prayer-meeting  ?     Why  cannot  you  spend 
several  minutes  in  conversation  about  the  topic,  and 
in  suggesting  plans  for  work  and  greater  usefulness  ! 
Would  not  such  friendliness  as  this  make  the  meetings 
social  and  delightful,  and  create  the  feeling  that  "  it  is 
good  for  us  to  be  here  ? "     It  will  be  easy  for  you  to 
speak  a  friendly  word  for  Jesus  now  while  the  warmth 
of  the  meeting  is  upon  you. 

15.  Let  the  opening  remarks   strike  the  key-note 
to   the   meeting.       "  Anybody    can    speak    or   pray 
when  a  meeting  has  become  lively,    interesting  and 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  195 

warm.     Blessed  is  the  man  who  dares  to  take  hold  of 
the  cold  end  of  a  prayer-meeting.  " 

1 6.  Would  it  not,  in  case  no  other  method  has 
been  adopted,  add  to  the  interest  and  profit,  if  the 
members  during  the  continuation  of  the  year  would 
each  select  a  dozen  topics  with  three  or  more  proof 
texts  from  Scripture  such  as  are  related  to  the  wants, 
trials,  and  experiences  of  daily  life — and  then  hand 
them  to  the  pastor  towards  the  end  of  the  year? 
From  these  "themes  from  the  pew,  "he  would  be 
able  to  pick  out  the  right  kind  of  topics  for  the  wants 
of  his  people  during  the  coming  year  :  and  certainly 
the  people  themselves  would  be  bound  to  take  an  in- 
terest in  topics  of  their  own  choosing. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 
DAILY  PRAYER-MEETING  TOPICS  FOR  1878. 

A  very  efficient  aid  for  the  improvement  of  the 
prayer-meeting,  will  be  the  selection  of  suitable  top- 
ics. Accordingly  we  have  introduced  a  number  of 
lists  which  may  serve  as  guides  and  hints  in  the  selec- 
tion at  the  outset.  The  entire  number,  with  the  list 
that  follows,  will  include  572  subjects,  or  enough  to 
supply  a  prayer-meeting  for  n  years;  and  these  sub- 
jects are  as  good  for  one  year  as  for  another.  Or,  if 
they  are  not  used  in  this  way,  the  study  of  these  with 
their  proof  texts  from  the  Scripture,  will  guide  an  in- 
dividual church  in  the  preparation  of  such  topics  as 
their  special  wants  may  demand.  This  list  was  pre- 
pared for  the  year  1878,  by  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  of  the 
United  States  and  the  British  Provinces. 

TOPICS. 


JANUARY. 

1.  Christ  the  Foundation.     I  Cor.  3  :  9-16. 

2.  The  Three  Musts.     John  3:  7,  14;   Acts  4: 12. 

3.  The  First  Commandment.     Ex.  20  :  3  ;  Isa.  43  :  10-15. 

4.  The  Stilling  of  the  Tempest.     Mark  4:  35-41. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  197 

5.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  Rehoboam,  First  King  of  Judah: 
2  Chron  12:  1-12;  Golden  Text:  When  he  humbled 
himself,  the  wrath  of  the  Lord  turned  from  him.  Verse  12. 

7.  Prayer.     Prayer  and  Praise.     Remembrance  of  personal  and 

relative  mercies  ;  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing  or.  past 
privileges,  and  for  a  humble  and  contrite  spirit.  Phil.  4  : 
6,  7  ;  i  Thess.  5  : 17,  18. 

8.  Prayer.     For    the   Church    of  Christ   in  all   Lands:    for  its 

deliverance  from  error ;  for  its  increase  in  faith  and  holi- 
ness, and  in  power  as  a  witness  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
for  the  grace -and  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Ps.  122. 
<).  Prayer.  For  Christian  Families  :  for  sick  and  afflicted  mem- 
bers;  for  children  at  school,  and  for  all  youth  in  our  col- 
leges and  seminaries  of  learning  ;  for  young  men  entering 
upon  the  active  business  of  life,  and  for  those  abroad; 
for  sons  and  daughters  openly  confessing  Christ.  Ps.  128. 

10.  Prayer.     For  Nations :  for  rulers,  magistrates  and  statesmen  ; 

for  the  army  and  navy  ;  for  all  benevolent  and  philan- 
thropic institutions  ;  for  religious  liberty  and  the  opening 
of  doors  "  wide  and  effectual"  for  publishing  the  Gospel; 
and  for  the  reign  of  righteousness  and  peace.  I  Tim.  2 ; 
Isa.  1-8  35  :  I,  2. 

11.  Prayer.     For  Christian  Missions  to  the  Jews  and  Gentiles :  for 

Sunday-schools,  and  for  the  divine  blessing  on  all  Chris- 
tian efforts  to  spread  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  of 
Salvation.  Matt.  28  : 18-20 ;  Isa.  52  :  7-10. 

12.  Prayer.     For  the  Circulation  of  the  Bible:  for  the  observance 

of  the  Sabbath  ;  for  the  removal  of  intemperance  ;  for  the 
rescue  of  the  fallen  ;  for  the  safety  of  those  who  travel  by 
land  and  by  water.  Acts  7:  38;  Eze.  .o:  12-20  ;  Luke 
4:  18,  19. 

Sunday-School  Lesson.  Asa  Faithful  to  his  God.  2  Chron. 
14  :  i-n  ;  Golden  Text :  Lord  it  is  nothing  with  thee  to 
help,  whether  with  many,  or  with  them  that  have  no 
power.  Ver.-e  n. 

14.  Working  and  Watching.     Neh.  4:1-11. 

15.  The    Way  of   Life    or   of    Death— Which?      Josh.    24:13 

I  Kings  18  :  21. 

16.  Is  the  Young  Man  Safe?     2  Sam.  18:29-33. 

17.  The  Sower.     Luke  8  :  5-8,  11-15. 

18.  God's  Delight  in  Saving  Sinners.     Eze.  33  :  II ;  Eph.  2  : 4-8. 

19.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Covenant   Renewed.     2  Chron. 

8-15  ;  Golden  Text:  Be  ye  strong,  therefore,  and  let  not 
your  hands  be  weak  :  for  your  work  shall  be  rewarded. 
Verse  7. 


198 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


21.  "Our  Father,  which  art  in   heaven."     Acts  17  :  22-31  ;  Gal. 

4 : 4-7- 

22.  The  Gain  of  the  Hypocrite.     Job  27  :  8-10 ;  Matt.  23  :  13. 

23.  "  Seekest    thou   great  things  for  thyself?     Seek   them  not" 

Matt.  20  :  20-28  ;  Mark  9 :  33-37. 

24.  Day  of  Prayer  for  Young  Men  in  Colleges.     Prov.  3  :  1-7. 

25.  "Come  out  of  the  man  thou  unclean  spirit."     Mark  5  : 1—2.0  ; 

26.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Jehoshaphat's  Prosperity.     2  Chron. 

17:1—10;  Golden  Text :  And  they  taught  in  judah,  and 
had  the  book  of  the  law  of  the  Lord  with  them,  and 
went  about  throughout  all  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  taught 
the  people.  Verse  9. 

28.  The  Inspiration  of  the  Bible.     2   Tim.  3:14-17;  2  Pet.  I  : 

20,  21 ;  2  Sam.  23:  1-3. 

29.  Whither  art  thou  going — to  Nineveh  or  Tarshish  ?     Jonah  I. 

30.  Two  Fearless  Young  Men.     Num.  14:  2-10;  32:  10-12. 

31.  The  Tenderness  of  God.     Deut.  32  :  10-14. 

FEBRUARY. 

1.  Promise  Meeting.    2  Cor.  i  :  20.     To  the  Sinner — John  6  :  37. 

To  the  Backslider — Jer.  3:22.  To  the  Believer — Isa. 
42  :  10,  13  ;  Rev.  21 :  4. 

2.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    Jehoshaphat  Reproved.   2  Chron.  19: 

1-9  ;  Golden  Text :  There  is  no  iniquity  with  the  Lord 
our  God,  nor  respect  of  persons,  nor  taking  of  gifts. 
Verse  7. 

4.  Self-Examination.     2  Cor.  13:5:  Psa.  77  :  6  ;  2  Cor.  1-12. 

5.  "What  wilt    thou   say  when   He  shall   punish  thee?"  Prov. 

ii  :  21 ;  Nahum  i  :  2-8;  2  Cor.  5  :  10,  n  ;  Lam.  3  139  ; 
Matt.  22:  ii,  12  ;  Eccl.  8:  n. 

6.  The  Lord  Looketh  on  the  Heart.     I  Sam.  16  :6,  7. 

7.  •  The  Second  Commandment.     Ex.  20:4-6;  Col.  3  :  1-5. 

8.  The  Dead  Brought  to  Life.     Mark  5  :  22-24,  35~43- 

9.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  Jehoshaphat  Helped  of  God.  2  Chron. 

20  : 14-22  ;  Golden  Text :  Believe  in  the  Lord  your  God, 
so  shall  ye  be  established  ;  believe  his  prophets,  so  shall 
ye  prosper.  Verse  20. 

11.  'fWhat    think   ye   of  Christ?"     Matt.    22:42;    Isa.  53:2; 

John  6 : 42  ;  3:2;  Mark  8  :  29 ;  John  20 :  28  ;  i  Pet.  2:7; 
Psa.  73 :  25. 

12.  Opportunities  Neglected.     Acts  24 :  24-27  ;  26  :  28. 

13.  A  Promising  Young  Man,  and  how  he  Failed.     I  Sam.  9:2; 

10  :6,  7  ;  28: 16-19. 

14.  Salvation  in  Christ  alone.     Acts  4: 12;  Isa.  45  : 10. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.         .  199 

15.  The  Unending  Misery  of  the  Lost,  and  the  Everlasting  Joy  of 

the  Redeemed.     Mark  9  :  42-48  ;  Isa.  35  :  10. 

16.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    Joash  Repairing  the  Temple.  2  Chron. 

24:  4-13  ;  Golden  Text:  Joash  was  minded  to  repair  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  Verse  4. 

18.  "  Hallowed  be  Thy  name."     Psa.  113 : 1-3  ;   Mai.  I :  II. 

19.  Salvation  as  a  Gift.     Rom.  6:23;  i  John  5:11. 

20.  Love  Not  the  World.     Eccl.  2  :  i-n. 

21.  Sins  of  Thought  Offensive  to  God.    Gen.  6:5-7;  i  John  3:  15. 

22.  Integrity   in   Civil    Magistrates    insisted    on.        Ex.   18:21; 

Neb.  5:15. 

23.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Uzziah's  Pride  Punished.     2  Chron. 

26 :  16-23  ;  Golden  Text ;  Pride  goeth  before  destruc- 
tion, and  a  haughty  spirit  before  a  fall.  Prov.  16:  18. 

25.  The  Bible  in  the  Public  Meeting.     Deut.  31 :  10-13;   Neh.  8  : 

i-S. 

26.  "  After  this  the  judgment."     Acts  17  :  32  ;  Heb.  9  :  27  ;  Luke 

12:5. 

27.  A  Young  Man  who  made  the  right  choice.      Heb.  II :  24—27  ; 

Deut.  34  :  10-12. 

28.  "While  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear."     Dan.  9:  21-23; 

Acts  12 :  5-10  ;  4  : 31 ;  Luke  23  :  42,  43. 

MARCH. 

1.  The  Cleansing  of  the  Leper.     Mark  1 :  40-45. 

2.  Sunday-School  Lesson.   Ahaz'  Persistent  Wickedness.  2  Chron. 

23 :  19-27  ;  Golden  Text:  And  in  the  time  of  his  distress 
did  he  trespass  yet  more  against  the  Lord  :  this  is  that 
King  Ahaz.  Verse  22. 

4.  Sound  Doctrine  Enjoined.     2    Tim.  4:1-4;  i    Tim.  4:16; 

John  7  :  17. 

5.  Christ  the  Way.     John  14  :  6  ;  Heb.  10:    19-23. 

6.  Ash  Wednesday.     "Rend  your  heart,  and  not  your  garments." 

Joel  2 :  12-19,    Psa.  51:    17. 

7.  The  Third  Commandment.     Ex.  29:7;    Matt.  5  :  33-37. 

8.  Christ's  Tenderness  to  the  Fallen.     Luke  7  :  36-50. 

9.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Hezekiah's  Good  Reign.      2  Chron, 

29:  i-n;  Golden  Text:  And  in  every  work  that  he 
began  ...  he  did  it  with  all  his  heart  and  prospered. 
2  Chron.  31  :  21. 

11.  Broiherlv  Love,     i  John  4:    n-2r. 

12.  I  am  Guilty  and  Need  Pardon.     Rom.  3  :  23-26. 

13.  Blessedness  of  the  Man  who  Delights  in  the  Word.     Psa.  i: 

1-3  ;  James  I  :  25. 


2OO  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

a 

14.  The  Draw-net.     Matt.  13:  47-50. 

15.  The  Healing  of  the  Centurion's  Servant.     Luke  7  :  i-io. 

16.  Sunday-School    Lesson.       Hezekiah   and    the    Assyrians.     2 

Chron.  32:  9-21  ;  Golden  Text:  With  him  is  an  arm  of 
flesh  ;  but  with  us  is  the  Lord  our  God,  to  help  us,  and  to 
fight  our  battles.  Verse  8. 

18.  "Thy  kingdom  come."     Psa.  2  ;   Rev.  n  :  15-17. 

19.  Christ  the  Truth,      i  John  5  :  20;  John  17:    3. 

20.  The  Good  Fight.     I  Tim.  6:  12;  2  Tim.  4:  7,  8. 

21.  Confession  called  out.     Mark  5  :  25-34. 

22.  State  of  the  Unsaved.      Dead — Eph.  2  :  i.     Lost — Luke  19  : 

10.  Condemned — John  3:  19.  Children  of  Wrath — 
Eph.  2 :  3.  Without  God — Eph.  2:  12. 

23.  Sunday-School    Lesson.     Manasseh   Brought   to   Repentance. 

2  Chron.  33  :  9-16  ;  Golden  Text:  As  many  as  I  love,  I 
rebuke  and  chasten :  be  zealous,  therefore,  and  repent. 
Rev.  3 :  19. 

25.  Christ  our  Substitute.   John  i :  29  ;  Heb.  9:  28  ;  Gal.  2  :  20  ; 

2  Cor.  5  :   21. 

26.  National  Disobedience.     I  Sam.  12:  15;  Jer.  12:    17. 

27.  Tampering  with  Sin.     Judges  16  :  4-20. 

28.  Duties  of  Employers.     Col.  4:1;   Eph.  6 :  9. 

29.  The  Man  with  the  Unclean  Spirit..     Mark  i :   23-27. 

30.  Sunday-School    Lesson.      Review    of    the  Lessons    for    the 

Quarter. 

APRIL. 

.1.  Forbearing  grace.     Luke  13:  6-9. 

2.  Christ  the  Life.     John  6  :  33-40. 

3.  "  None  Righteous."     Rom.  3  :    10-18;   Eccl.   7:  20. 

4.  The  Fourth  Commandment.     Ex.  20  :  S-n;   Jer.  17  :    19-27. 

5.  Is  God   Ready   to  Pardon  Me  Now?     Psa.  86:  5;  Isa.   i: 

18-20  ;  2  Cor.  6  :  2. 

••6.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  Josiah's  Early  Piety.  2  Chron.  34 : 
1—8;  Golden  Text:  Remember  now  thy  Creator  in  the 
days  of  thy  youth,  while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the 
years  draw  nigh,  when  thou  shall  say,  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  them.  Eccl.  12  :  i. 

8.  Power  of  the  Prayer  of  Faith.     Josh.  10  :  12,  13;  James  5: 

16-18  ;    i  John  5  :   14,  15. 

9.  The  New  Heart.     Eze.  36:  26;  Acts  15:   9. 

'io.     A  Young  Man  who  Found  Favor  with  God  and   Man.     Gen. 

41:  12,  13,  38-45. 
II.     Duties  of  the  Employed.    Col.  3  :   22 — 25;   Titus  2:  9,  io. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  2OI 

12.  "  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?  "     John  5  :   1-16. 

13.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Scriptures  Found  and  Searched. 

2  Chron.  34 :  14-22  ;  Golden  Text,  John  5  :  39. 

15.  "  Thy  will  be  done."      Matt.  7  :  21 ;  Rom.  2:13. 

16.  What  to  Lay  Oft,  and  What  to  Put  On.     Col.  3  :  8-15. 

17.  How  can  a  Man  be  Born  Again  ?     By  Believing — i  John  5:1. 

By  Receiving — John  i  :  12,  13.    By  the  Spirit— Titus  3  :  5. 
By  the  Word  of  God— James  i  :  18. 

18.  "Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side."     John  21  :  1-13. 

19.  Good  Friday.     Isa.  52:  13-15  ;  53:1-12. 

20.  Sunday-School    Lesson.     Jeremiah    in    Prison.     Jer.  33 :  1-9 ; 

Golden  Text,  verse  3. 

22.  Easter  Monday.     Matt.  28  :  1-20. 

23.  The  Sinner's  Wealth      Rom.  2  :  5-9. 

24.  One  who  Trusted  in  Something  Better  than  his  Own  Good 

Works.     Phil.  3:4-11. 

25.  The  Unmerciful  Servant.     Matt.  18  :  21-35. 

26.  "  Lord,  save  me."     Matt.  14  :  22-33. 

27.  Sunday-School    Lesson.     The   Rechabites.      Jer.    35:12-19'; 

Golden  Text,  verse  13. 

29.  "  God  is  our  refuge."     Psa.  46. 

30.  The  Wicked  Husbandmen.     Mark  12 :  1-12. 

MAY. 

1.  A  Personal  Saviour.     Phil.  3.  10;   2  Tim.  1:12. 

2.  The  Believer's  Home.     Rev.  21 :  25  ;  3  :  12;    Psa.  17  :  15. 

3.  The  Compassion  of  Jesus.      Matt.  9  :  35-38. 

4.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The   Captivity  of  Judah.     Jer.   52 : 

l-n  ;  Golden  Text,  Lam.  i :  8. 

6.  "  Now."    Luke  14  :  17  ;  2  Cor.  6:2;  Rom.  8  :  i ;  I  John  3  :  2. 

7.  I   am  a  Rebel,  and  need  to  be  Restored  to  the  Divine  Favor. 

Rom.  3  :  10-12 ;    Isa.  53  :  6. 
B.     A  Young  Man  who  Despised  the  Promises  of  God.     Gen.  25  : 

27-34;  Heb.  12:  16,  17. 

9.     Laborers  in  the  Vineyard.     Matt.  20:  1-16. 
10.     The  Woman   Loosed  from   her  Infirmity.     Luke  13  :  19-17  ; 

Psa.  145:  14. 

it.     Sunday-School   Lesson.     The  Captives  in  Babylon.     Dan.  i: 
8-17  ;  Golden  Text,  Psa.  in  :  10. 

13.  The  Testimony  of  the  Man  Born  Blind.     John  9. 

14.  Choose.     Deut.  30:15-19. 

15.  We  Must  Forsake  our  Sins.     Isa.  55  :  7  ;  Eze.  18  :  30-32. 

16.  The  Ten  Virgins.     Matt.  25  : 1-13. 

17.  Able  to  Keep.     Psa.  121;  Jude  24. 

18.  Sunday-School   Lesson.       Nebuchadnezzar's    Dream.      Dan. 

2  :  30-45  I   Golden  Text,  verse  28. 
14 


2O2  THE    PRA  V  KR-M  EETING. 


20.  Searching  the  Scriptures.     John  5  :  38-40;   Acts  17  :  n,  12. 

21.  God  as  a  Suppliant.     Hosea  n  :  1-9;  Isa.  65  :  2. 

22.  Christ  an  Example  of  Humility.     John  13:  1-15. 

23.  Unbelief.     Psa.  78:  17-22;    i  John  5:10,  n 

24.  The  Withered  Hand  Restored.     Luke  6:6-11. 

25.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Fiery  Furnace.     Dan.  3  :  21-27. 

Golden  Text,  verse  17. 

27.  Christ  Coming  for   His  Saints.      John   14:  1-3;    I  Cor.  15  : 

51-54 ;  i  Thess.  4  : 13-18. 

28.  "  But  they  made  light  of  it."     Luke  14:  15-24. 

29.  The  Prizes  of  Christian  Warfare.     Rev.  3  :  5,  12,  21. 

30.  Ascension  Day.     Luke  24  :  46-53. 

31.  Encouraging  Promises.      Matt.  9:29;     Rom.  10:9;    Matt. 

10  :  22  ;  James  I  :  12. 

JUNE. 

i.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  The  Handwriting  on  the  Wall. 
Dan.  5:  22-31;  Golden  Text:  Thou  art  weighed  in  the 
balances,  and  art  found  wanting.  Verse  27. 

3.  Self-Denial.     Gen.  12  :  1-5  ;  Heb.  n  :  8-10. 

4.  How  shall  the  Sinner  Escape  ?     Heb.  2:3;!  Pet.  4 :  18. 

5.  Evil  Thoughts — How  can  I  be  delivered  from  them  ?     Matt. 

15  :  19,  20  ;  2  Cor.  10  :  5. 

6.  The  Fifth  Commandment.     Ex.  20  :  12  ;  Luke  2  :  51. 

7.  Self-purification  Impossible.    Jer.  2  :  22  ;   13  :  23  ;  Prov.  20  :  9. 
3.     Sunday-School  Lesson.     Daniel  in   the  Lions'  Den.     Dan.  6 : 

14-23 ;  Golden  Text :  My  God  hath  sent  his  angel,  and 
hath  shut  the  lions'  mouths,  that  they  have  not  hurt  me. 
Verse  22. 

10.  What  Christ  Does  for  the  Believer.      He  Dies  for   Me — John 

10  :  ii.  He  Seeks  Me—  Eze.  34  :  n.  He  Gives  Me  Rest 
— Psa.  23  :  2  (first  clause).  He  Knows  Me — John  10  :  27. 
He  Leads  Me — Psa.  23  :  2  (last  clause).  He  Carries  Me. 
Isa.  40:11.  He  Feeds  Me — John  21:15.  He  Heals 
Me — Eze.  34 :  16.  He  Makes  Me  a  Blessing — Eze.  34 :  26. 
He  Comes  for  Me — John  14  :  3. 

11.  Seek  ye  the  Lord.     Amos  5  :  4-8. 

12.  The  Temple  of  God.     2  Cor.  6  :  16  ;  I  Cor.  3  :  16,  17. 

13.  "  Where  are  the  nine  ?"      Luke  17  :  11-19. 

14.  The  Sinner  Invited.     Matt,  n  :  28-30;  John  6  :  37. 

15.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Messiah's   Kingkom.     Dan.  7:9-14; 

Golden  Text :  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever ; 
the  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  is  a  right  sceptre.  Psa.  45  :  6. 

17.  The  Word  a  Light.     Psa.  119  : 105,  130  ;  Prov.  6  :  23. 

18.  A  Promise  Given,  and  a  Choice  Required.   Jer.  29:  13  ;  Matt. 

6  :  24. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  203 

19.  On  What  are  You  Building?     Matt.  7  :  24-29. 

20.  Fruitfulness.     John  15  :  1-5. 

21.  "  If  thou  canst  believe."     Mark  9  :  14-29. 

22.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Decree  of  Cyrus.    2  Chron.  36  : 

22-23  !  Golden  Text :  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jerusalem, 
and  cry  unto  her,  that  her  warfare  is  accomplished,  that 
her  iniquity  is  pardoned.  Isa.  40  :  2. 

24.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread."  Prov.  30  :  8,  9  ;  Vs.  34 :  10. 

25.  An  Important  Question  Answered.     Psa.  15. 

26.  My  Besetting  Sin — How  can  I   get  Strength  to  Overcome  it  t 

Heb.  12:  1-4  ;  i  Cor.  9:  27. 

27.  The  Christian  in  the  World.     Matt.  5  :  13-16. 

28.  Decision  Necessary  to  the  Service  of  God.     2  Chron.  15  :  12  ; 

Luke  9 : 62. 

29.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  Review  of  the  Lessons  for  the  Quarter. 

JULY. 

1.  The  Work  of  the  Spirit.     I  Cor.  2  :  9-16  ;  Rom.  8  :  14-17. 

2.  Where  is  thy  Brother  ?     Gen.  4:9;   Eze.  33  :  8-9. 

3.  What  Christ  says  to  Every  Unconverted  Young  Man.     Luke 

7  :  11-16 

4.  God's  Children  Free.     John  8  :  31-36. 

5.  The  Raising  of  Lazarus.     John  n  :  1-45. 

6.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Birth  of  Christ  the  Lord.     Luke  2  : 

8-20 ;  Golden  Text :  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in 
the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord. 
Verse  n. 

8.  Christ  Coming  with  His  Saints.     2  Thess.  1 :  7-10;   Col.  3:4; 

Jude  14,  15. 

9.  "  Wait  on  the  Lord."     Lam.  3  :  25,  26  ;  Isa.  40  :  28-31. 

10.  Invitations  Refused.     Luke  14:  15-24;  Prov.  i  :  24-28. 

11.  "Give  ye  them  to  eat."     Luke  9:  12-17  ;  John  21  .  15-17. 

12.  Christ's   Willingness  to  Receive  Sinners.     Luke  15:2;  John 

6  :  37  ;   Luke  9:11. 

13.  Sunday-School   Lesson.     The  Childhood  of  Jesus.     Luke  2 : 

40-52  ;  Golden  Text,  verse  52. 

15.  Christ  is  Able  To:    Perform   all  he   Promises — Rom.  4:  21. 

Save  to  the  Uttermost — Heb  7  :  25.  Make  Stand — Rom. 
14:4.  Keep  from  Falling — Jude  24.  Keep  what  is 
Committed  to  Him — 2  Tim.  I  :  12.  Succor  the  Tempted. 
— Heb.  2:  1 8.  Make  all  Grace  Abound — 2  Cor.  9:  8. 
Do  Exceeding  Abundantly — Eph.  3 :  20. 

16.  "All  that  believe  are  justified."   Acts  13:38,  39;   Gal.  2:  16; 

Rom.  4 :  5. 

17.  Seeking  the  Lost.     Luke  19 :  i-io. 

18.  The  Sixth  Commandment.     Ex.  20:13;  Matt.  ^  :  21,  22. 


2O4  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 

19.  "  Have  mercy  on  me."     Mark  10  :  46-52. 

20.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Ministry  of  John  the  Baptist.     Luke 

3  : 15-22  ;  Golden  Text,  Luke  1:15. 

22.  The  Word  Made  Plain.     Psa.  ng:  18  ;  Eph.  i  :  17-23. 

23.  Good  News — Poor  Men  Made  Rich.    153.55:1-3;   Rev.  21:7. 

24.  In  What  Men  should  Glory.     Jer.  g:  23,  24;   Gal.  6: 14. 

25.  The  Law  of  Growth  in  the   Kingdom  of  God.      Mark   4 : 

26-29;  2  Pet-  3  :  18. 

26.  Invitation  to  All.     Rev.  22  :  17  ;    2  Cor.  5  :  20,  21 ;    6  :  i,  2. 

27.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Jesus  at  Nazareth.      Luke  4:  16-30; 

Golden  Text,  verse  32. 

29.  The  Lord  our  Helper.     Psa.  20;   Deut.  31 :  6-3. 

30.  "  Learn  of  me."     Matt.  11:29. 

31.  Evil  Effects  of  Bad  Company.    Gen.  13:12,   13;  19:1,12-28. 

AUGUST. 

1.  "  Humbleness  of  mind."     Col.  3:12-14. 

2.  The  Healing  of  One  Deaf  and  Dumb.     Mark  7  :  31-37. 

3.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  The  Draught  of  Fishes.  Luke  5:1-11 

Golden  Text,  verse  II. 

5.  The    Weapon   of  Our   Warfare.     Eph.   6:17.    Heb.  4:12: 

Jer.  23  :  29. 

6.  The  Rich  Fool.     Luke  12:  16-21. 

7.  An  Ambitious  Young  Man  and  his  Untimely  End.     2  Sam. 

15:  i-5.  )3.  M;  18:6-15. 

8.  The  Seventh  Commandment.     Ex.  20:  14  ;  Eph.  5  :  3-7. 

9.  Victory  over  the  Devil.     Gen.  3:15;    Matt.  4  :  i-n  ;    i  John 

2:  14. 

10.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  The  Centurion's  Faith.  Luke  7  : 
i-io  ;  Golden  Text:  According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto 
you.  Matt.  9 :  29. 

12.  Despising  the  Word.     Heb.  2:   1-3  ;  Prov.  13  :  13. 

13.  Two  Companies  and  Two  Ends.     Matt.  7:  13,    14;    Ex.  23; 

2;  Heb.  12:    22-24;    Luke  16:   22,  23. 

14.  What  it  is  to  know  Christ.     John  17  :  3;   Phil.  3  :  7-11. 

15.  Hearing  God's  Call.     I  Sam.  3  :  i-io. 

16.  "  He  will  abundantly  pardon."     Isa.  55:  7;   Neh.  9:    16,  17. 

17.  Sunday-School  Lesson.      The  Widow   of    Nain.      Luke   7 : 

11-17;  Golden  Text:  And  when  the  Lord  saw  her,  He 
had  compassion  on  her,  and  said  unto  her,  weep  not. 
Verse  13. 

19.  Christ  Coming  in  Judgment.     Matt.  25 :  31-46. 

20.  "  Escape  for  thy  life."     Gen.  19  :  15-17. 

21.  Young   Men — their   Rule  for  Right  Living.       Psa.  119:9; 

Josh,  i  :  8. 

22.  Duties  of  Parents  to  Children.     Eph.  6:4;   Deut.  6  :  6-9. 


THE  PRAYER-MEETIM;.  205 

23.  The  Great  Change.     Zech.  3  :  1-7. 

24.  Sunday-School    Lesson.     The  Friend   of  Sinners.     Luke   7 : 

40-50;   Golden  Text :  Luke  15:2. 

26.  Seven  Results  of  Abiding  in  Christ.     Fruit,  Answered  Prayer, 

Love.    Obedience.    Joy,    Fellowship,    Service.     John    15: 
5-i6. 

27.  The  Lost  Piece  of  Money.     Luke  15  :  i,  2,  8-10. 

28.  Individual  Responsibility.     2  Cor.  5  :  10;    Rom.  14:  10-12. 

29.  The  Waiting  Lord.     Rev.  -•; :  20  ;  Song  of  Sol.,  5  :  2. 

30.  Christ  Lives  in  the  Believer.     Gal.  2  :  20;    Eph.  3  :  14-21. 

31.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Return    of  the  Seventy.     Luke  10 : 

17-24  ;  Golden  Text,  verse  23. 

SEPTEMBER. 

2.  "He  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures."     Luke  24 :  13-32. 

3.  The  Way  Out  of  the  Ditch.      Jer.  3  :  12    13;    Hosea  14  :  1-4. 

4.  "  Your  Sins  will  Find    You  Out."      Num.  32  :  23  ;   Gen.  44  : 

16-34- 

5.  The  Eighth  Commandment.     Ex.  20:15;    Lev.  19: 11-13. 

6.  Christ's  Help  in  Temptation.     Heb.  2  :  18;   2  Cor.  12  :  9. 

7.  Sunday-School  Lesson.       The  Good  Samaritan.      Luke   10 : 

30-37.    Golden  Text :  Gal.  5  :  14. 

9.     "  Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors."     Mark  n  : 
25  ;    18  :  21,  22. 

10.  Idleness.     Prov.  24 :  30-34. 

11.  An  Exhortation  to  a  Young  Man.     I  Tim.  4  :  12-16. 

12.  Love   the   Impulse  to    Labor.      John    21  :  15-17  ;  2  Cor.  5  : 

M.    15- 

13.  Invitation  to  the  Thirsty.     Isa.  55  :  1-9. 

14.  Sunday-School   Lessonr      Importunity  in  Prayer.     Luke  n  : 

5-13  ;   Golden  Text :   Luke  18  :  I. 

16.  God  the  Deliverer  of  His  People.     Ex.  14  :  10-31. 

17.  The  Sinner's  Condemnation.     John  3  :  17-21. 

18.  A  Zeal  for  Christ  which  consumes  Self.      Luke  9  :  23  ;  2  Cor. 

5  :  14,  15;    I  Thess.  2:8. 

19.  The  Aged — Prayer    and    Promise.     Prov.   16:31;     Psa.  71  : 

1-19  ;    Isa.  46  :  4. 

20^      "  Uo  all  to  the  glory  of  God."    i  Cor.  10  :  31-33;   Rom.  15:3. 
21.     Sunday-School  Lesson.    Warning  against  Covetousness.    Luke 

12  :  13-23  ;  Golden  Text,  verse  15. 

23.  Indwelling   and  Comfort  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     John  20 :  22  ; 

Acts  2:4;  John  16  :7~I3- 

24.  Christ's  Misrion.     i  Tim.  i:  15. 

25.  True  to  God,  regardless  of  Consequences.     Dan.   3:13-30. 

26.  Neglect  of  the  Poor  a  Neglect  of  Christ.     Matt.  25  :  42-45  ; 

Mark  9 : 41. 


2O6  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


27.  Nothing  too  Hard  for  God.     Jer.  32  :  17  ;  Psa.    130  :  1-5. 

28.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    Review  of  the  Lessons  for  the  Quarter. 
30.     God's  Word  in  Us.     Col.  3  :  16 ;  Psa.  119  :  n  ;  Jer.  20  :  9. 

OCTOBER. 

i..  Too  Late.     Luke  19  :  41-44;  Heb.   3:17-19. 

2.  "Wisdom.     Prov.   2  :  1-9;  James  I  :  5. 

3.  The  Ninth  Commandment.     Ex.  20:16;   Psa.  15:  1-4. 

4.  Sowing  and  Reaping.     Gal.  6:7,  8. 

5.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     Warning  against   Formalism.     Luke 

13  :  22-30  ;  Golden  Text,  verse  24. 

7.  Tokens  of  Our  Love  to  God.     John  14  :  21-23  ;    i  John  2  : 15. 

8.  Jabez'  Prayer,     i  Chron.  4  :  9,  10. 

9.  A   Young  Man  who  Sought  only  this  World's  Joys.     Luke 

15:  11-24. 

10.  The  Question  Every  Man  must  Answer.     Matt.  27  :  22. 

11.  The  Saviour  we  need  Offered.     Rom.  3  :  10-26. 

12.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Gospel  Feist.     Luke  14:  15-24  ; 

Golden  Text,  verse  15. 

14.  Things  we  Know.    Rom.  7:18;  2  Tim.  1:12;  i  John  5  :  13  ; 

Rom.  8  :  28. 

15.  Safe  Voyage,  if  Christ  is  on  Board.     Mark  4  :  35-41. 

16.  Whole-hearted  for  Christ.     Luke  9:  57-62. 

17.  "  At  Thy  word  T  will  let  down  the  net."      Luke  5  :  i-n. 

1 8.  Exhortation  to  Watchfulness.     I  Thess.  5  :  6-8. 

19.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    The  Prodigal  Son.     Luke  15:11-24; 

Golden  Text :  Psa.  40  :  17. 

21.  "  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil."     Jas. 

i  :  13-15  ;    i  Cor.  10  :  13  ;  2  J'et.  2:952  Tim.  4 :  18. 

22.  The  Two  Future  Slates.     Luke  16  :  19-31. 

23.  How  a  Young  Man  made  his  Life  Successful.     Acts  7  :  57-59 ; 

26  :  9-23 ;  2  Cor.  5  :  13,  14. 

24.  The  Pharisee  and  the  Publican.     Luke  18  :  9-14. 

25.  "  The  Lamb  of  God."  John  I  :  29  ;  Rev.  5  :  12,  13  ;  6:  15-17. 

26.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus.     Luke 

16  :  19-31  ;  Golden  Text :  Prov.  14  :  32. 

28.  Teaching  and  Keeping  God's  Word.     Deut.  II  :  18-25. 

29.  The  Call  to  the  Backslider.     Jer.  2  :  5,  13,  19;  3:12-14. 

30.  Ruined  by  Evil  Company.     2  Chron.  10  :  1—14  ;   12:14-16. 

31.  Profession  without  Fruit  an  Offence.     Mark  11:12-14;  John 

15:2. 

NOVEMBER. 

1.  The  Wanderer's  Cry.     Psa.  51. 

2.  Sunday-School   Lesson.     The  Ten  Lepers.      Luke  17  :  11-19  ; 

Golden  Text,  verse  17. 


THE    PRAYER-MEETING.  2OJ 

4.  Promise  Meeting.     2    Pet.    1:4;     Matt.  28:20;   Acts   1:8; 

John  14 :  3. 

5.  Who  are  Haters  of  God?     John  15:17-25;  Rom.  8:7,  8. 

6.  A  Young  Man's  Wise  Choice,     i  Kings  3:  5-14. 

7.  The  Tenth  Commandment.     Ex.  20  :  17  ;  Heb.  13  :  5. 

8.  "  We  will  hear  thee  ugain."     Acts  17  :  32  ;  Prov.  27  :  i. 

9.  Sunday-School    Lesson.     Whom   the    Lord  Receives.     Luke 

18  :  9-17  ;  Golden  Text,  verse  17. 

11.  Young    Men  —  their  Power  for  Evil.     I   Kings   11:28;  12: 

26-30  ;   13  :  33,  34  ;  Acts  7  :  57-59 ;   8  :  1-3. 

12.  Young  Men — their  Power  for  Good.  Prov.  20  :  29 ;   i  John  2  : 

13,  14;  Eph.  6  :  10,  II. 

13.  Something  Stronger  than  the  Strength  of  Young  Men.     Isa. 

40  :  28-31. 

14.  How  to  Reach  Young  Men.     John  I  :  35-46. 

15.  Young  Men  —  their  Special    Temptations.     Eccl.   11:9,   10  ; 

2  Tim.  2:  22.  , 

16.  The  Pattern  for  Young  Men.    Luke  2  : 42-52 ;   Acts  10  :  38-43, 
Sunday-School    Lesson.     Zaccheus,  the  Publican.     Luke  19  : 

i-io;   Golden  Text,  verse  10. 

18.  Baptism  of  the  Spirit  for  Service.     Acts  i  :  8  ;  2:4;  4:31. 

19.  When  do  men  cry  unto  the  Lord  ?    Psa.  107  :  5,  6,  12,  13,  18. 

19,  27,  28. 

20.  A  Life  Well  Begun.     2  Chron.  34  :  1-8,   29-33. 

21.  The  Lesson  of  Patience.     James  5  :  7-11. 

22.  Invitation  and  Warning.     Isa.  1 :  18  ;  Prov.  I:  24-33. 

23.  Sunday-School  Lesson.  Judaism  Overthrown.   Luke  21 :  8-21  ; 

Golden  Text :  Luke  19:41. 

25.  Profit  in  U.-ing  the  Word.     2  Tim.  3: 12-16;   Isa.  55  :  10,  n. 

26.  Repentance.      Matt.  9:   13;  Eze.  18:  32;  Acts  5:  31. 

27.  A  Young  Man  in  whom  the  World  found  no  fault,  except  his 

Religion.     Dan.  6:  1-5,  25-28;   Phil.  2:   15. 

28.  "The  Sacrifice  of  Praise."     Psa.  148;  Rev.  7:    n  ;    Heb. 

13:   15,   16. 

29.  Halting  Between  Two  Opinions.      I  Kings  18 :  21 ;  Joshua 

24:  15. 

30.  Sunday-School    Lessons.       The    Lord's  Supper.      Luke  22 : 

10-20;  Golden  Text :  i  Cor.  n  :  26. 

DECEMBER. 

2.  The  Imagination.     Corrupt — Rom.   1:21;   Deut.  29:  19,  20, 

Redeemed — Isa.  26  :  3  ;    ("Mind,"  in  margin  "imagina- 
tion "  or  "  thought  ").     Phil.  4  :  7. 

3.  God  our  our  Searcher.     Psa.  139  :  23,  24  ;  I  Chron.  28  : 9. 


2O8  THE    PRAYER-MEETING. 


4.  Some   Things    Money  Cannot  Buy.     Redemption — I  Pet.  I : 

18,   19.     The   Gift   of    the   Spirit — Acts    8  :  18-23.     The 
Heavenly  Inheritance — i  Pet.  3-5. 

5.  The  Pounds.     Luke  19  :  1 1-27. 

6.  I  am  a  Slave  to  Sin  and  need  to  be  Set  Free.     Heb.  2  :  14, 15 ; 

Phil.  2  :  7-9. 

7.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    The  Cross.    Luke  23  :  33-46  ;  Golden 

Text :  Gal.  6  :  14. 
9.     Justification.     Isa.  53  :  n;   Rom.  8:  33;   Rom.  5  :  8,  9. 

10.  Grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit.     Gen.  6:3;    I  Thess.  5  : 19;  Tsa. 

63 : 10. 

11.  A  Young  Man's  Foolish  Choice.      Mark  10  :  17  :  22. 

12.  Idle  Words.     Matt.  12  :  36  ;  Eph.  4  ^29-31. 

13.  Joy  over  Deliverance.     Acts  8  :  5-8. 

14.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The  Walk  to  Emmaus.     Luke  24 : 

13-32  ;   Golden  Text,  verse  32. 

16.  The  Word    "written   that   ye  may  believe."     John  20:31; 

2  Tim.  3  :  15. 

17.  A  Sinner  Awakened  and  Saved.     Acts  16  :  22-34. 

18.  Christ  as  a  Pattern  for  Young  Men.     Phil.  2  :  5-16. 

19.  Riches    do    not  Satisfy.     Eccl    5:10,    n  ;  Psa.  49:11-13; 

i  Tim.  6  :  17-19. 

20.  Help  Cometh  from  God.     Psa.  89 :  19  ;  142  :  4,  5. 

21.  Sunday-School  Lesson.     The   Saviour's  Last  Words.     Luke 

24 : 44-53 ;   Golden  Text :  Matt.  28  :  20. 

23.  Christ  the  Fulfilment  of  Scripture.     Matt.5  : 17 ;  Luke  24:  27  ; 

Rev.  19:  10. 

24.  Redemption.     Gal.  4  :  4,  5  ;    i  Pet.  I  :  18,  19. 

25.  Glad  Tidings.     Luke  2  : 1-20. 

26.  "  Think  on  these  Things."     Phil.  4:8,  9;   Heb.  2:1. 

27.  "  Mighty  to  Save."     Isa.  63:1. 

28.  Sunday-School  Lesson.    Review  of  the  Lessons  for  the  Quarter. 

30.  "  For  Thine   is   the   kingdom,    the    power   and    the  glory." 

i  Chron.  29  :  10-13  ;   Psa.  62  :  n  ;  Rev.  5  : 13. 

31.  How  shall   we    Number   Our   Days   and    Years?      Psa.  90: 

12  ;  Eccl.  9  :  10 ;   Eph.  5:15-17. 


"  Did  not  our  heart  burn  within  us,  while  He  talked  with  us  by  the 
way,  and  while  He  opened  to  us  the  Scriptures  ? ' '  (Luke  24  :  32.) 

"  Now  unto  him  that  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  pre- 
sent you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy,  to 
the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be  glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and 
power,  both  now  and  forever.  Amen," 


W.  G.  HOLMES, 

Publisher  and  Bookseller, 

77    MADISON    STREET,    CHICAGO, 

Has  a  very  large  assortment  of  Books  designed  as 
helps  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures;  including  BIBLI- 
CAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS,  AND  DICTIONARIES;  COMMEN- 
TARIES on  the  whole  and  various  parts  of  Scripture; 
HAND-BOOKS  OF  STUDY;  MAPS  of  the  Holy  Land; 
TOPICAL  STUDIES  ;  BIBLE  CLASS  MANUALS  ;  and 
many  Helps  and  Guides  for  Sunday-school  Teachers 
and  Bible  Students.  Also,  a  VERY  COMPLETE  VA- 
RIETY OF  THE  BAGSTER  AND  TEACHERS'  BIBLES. 


W.   G.  Holmes,  Publisher  <&  Bookseller, 


HELPS  TO  BIBLE  STUDY, 


MATTHEW  HENRY'S  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BIBLE. 

In  9  volumes,  8vo,  cloth.     Reduced  to $20.00 

In  5  volumes,  410,  sheep.    Reduced  to 20  oo 

"  Taking  it  as  a  whole,  and  as  adapted  to  every  class  of  readers,  this  Commentary  may 
be  said  to  combine  more  excellence  than  any  Work  of  the  kind  which  was  ever  written  in 
any  language."— Dr.  Alexander. 

"  I  venture  to  say  that  no  better  investment  can  be  made  by  any  Minister,  than  in 
having  that  peerless  exposition,  '  Henry's  Commentary.'  Get  it,  if  you  sell  your  coat  to 
buy  it.''—Spurgeon. 

POOL'S  ANNOTATIONS  ON  THE  BIBLE. 

3  volumes,  royal  Svo,  sheep $15.00 

RICHARD  CECIL  says:  "Pool  is  incomparable." 

HORNE'S  INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

I  volume,  royal  Svo,  sheep $5.00 

"  An  indispensable  work  for  a  theological  library.  .  .  It  is  a  work  of  gigantic  labor. 
The  results  of  the  research  and  erudition  of  scholars  of  all  countries  and  in  all  times  are 
here  faithfully  garnered." — Evangelist. 

KITTO'S  BIBLE  ILDUSTRATIONS. 

4  volumes,  I2mo $7.00 

"  I  believe  for  the  elucidation  of  the  historic  parts  of  Scripture,  there  is  nothing  com- 
parable with  them  in  the  English  or  any  other  language."— John  Angel  James. 

DR.  HANNA'S  LIFE  OF  CHRIST. 

3  volumes,  1 2mo     $4. 50 

"  We  can  most  heartily  commend  the  '  Life  of  our  Lord,'  by  Dr.  Hanna." — Congrega 
fi)nal  Quarterly. 
"  Sab  bath -school  teachers  will  find  Dr.  Hanna's  work  very  helpful."—/!?.  S.  Times. 

DR.  GREEN  ON  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB $i-75 

DR.  JACOBUS'  COMMENTARIES. 


Genesis.     2  vols  in  one 1.50 


Luke  and  John 1.50 

Acts 1.50 


Exodus.     Parti I.oo 

Matthew  and  Mark   1.50 

The  value  of  Dr.  Jacobus'  Notes  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  over  ONE  HUNDRED  THOU- 
SAND VOLUMES  of  them  have  been  sold  in  this  country  alone,  without  counting  the  circu- 
lation in  Great  Britain. 

RYLE'S  NOTES  ON  THE  GOSPELS. 

7  volumes,  I2mo $10.50 

DR.  HODGE'S  COMMENTARIES. 


Romans 1.75 

Corinthians,  2  vols 3.50 


Ephesians 1.75 


77  Madison  Street,   Chicago. 


A  COMMENTARY,  CRITICAL,  EXPERIMENTAL  AND  PRACTICAL,  ON 
THK  OLD  AND  NEW  TESTAMENT.  By  Drs.  Brown,  Jamieson  and 
Faussett.  16  Maps.  6  vols 15.00 

THE  POCKET  COMMENTARY.     P,y   Jnmieson,   Faussett  and    Brown. 

An  abridgment  of  their  larger  work.     10  vols  ,  iSmo 10.00 

SCOTT'S  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BIBLE. 

3  vols.,  sheep,  complete IO.OO 

THE  BIBLICAL  MTSIUM. 

A  Collection  of  Notes,  explanatory,  homiletic  and  illustrative, 
forming  a  complete  Commentary  of  the  Holy  Scriptures — especially 
designed  for  the  use  of  Ministers,  Bible  Students,  and  Sunday- 
school  Teachers.  Each  volume  sold  separately  at 1.50 


Vol.      I.     Matthew  and  Mark. 
II.     Luke  and  John. 


Vol.  IV.     Corinthians  to  Philemon. 
V.     Hebrews  to  Revelation. 


III.     Acts  and  Romans. 

With  copious  Index  to  the  five  volumes. 

On  Old  Testament.    Vol.  I.,  Genesis  and  Exodus 1.50 

Vol.  II.,  Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy     1.50 

"  Most  popular  and  entertaining  commentary  with  which  we  are  acquainted."— New 
York  Observer. 

THE  HISTORIC  ORIGIN  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

A  Hand-book  of  Principal  Facts,  from  the  best  recent  authorities, 

German  and  English.     By  Edwin  Cone  Bissell.     8vo 2.00 

'•  An  intensely  interesting  book." — Christian  at  Work. 

HINTS  ON  BIBLE  READINGS. 

With   a  collection  of  Readings  from  various  sources.     By  Rev. 

Jno.  C.  Hill i.oo 

INGLIS'  s  BIBLE  TEXT  ENCYCLOPEDIA 2.50 

How  TO  STUDY  THE  BIBLE.     By  D.  L.  Moody 15 

CRUDEN'S  CONCORDANCE — complete 2.75 

condensed 1.50 

SMITH'S  DICTIONARY  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

4  vols.,  complete 26.00 

Abridged  by  Barnum Cloth,  $5.00.     Sheep,  6.00 

Smaller  Edition 1.50 


ANY  OP  1HE  FDREGOIIG  SENT  BY  MAIL.  POST-PAID.  01  RECEIPT  OF  PRICE, 

WE  ARE  CONSTANTLY  ADDING  TO  OUR  STOCK.     A  CORDIAL  INVITATION 
TO  EXAMINE  IT  IS  EXTENDED.    CORRESPONDENCE  SOLICITED. 


W.    G.    HOLMES,  PUBLISHER  AND  BOOKSELLER, 

77    MADISON    STREET,    CHICAGO. 


NEW  BOOKS 

ON   THE 

SECOND    COMING. 


THE  BLESSED  HOPE:  OR,  THE  GLORI- 
OUS COMING  OF  THE  LORD.  By  the  Rev.  Willis 
Lord,  D.D.,  12010,  cloth,  $1.25. 

"  Dr.  Willis  Lord  has  given  us  in  his  new  volume,  the  revelation  of 
a  Christian  heart  so  reverent,  so  loving,  so  eager,  that  to  tarry  with  it 
is  like  tarrying  at  new  wine." — Church  Union. 

"  Dr.  Lorffs  statement  of  the  Scriptural  argument  in  favor  of  the 
pre-millenial  cJiaracter  of  the  coming  is  simply  unanswerable." — Rev. 
Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr. 

MARANATHA:  OR,  THE  LORD  COMETH.  By 
Jas.  H.  Brookes,  D.D.  i6mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 

HE  WILL  COME.  By  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  Jr. 
i6mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 

GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COMING.  By  Rich- 
ard G.  Greene,  D.D.  i6mo,  cloth,  $1.00. 


W.   G.    HOLMES, 

PUBLISHER   AND    BOOKSELLER, 

77  MADISON  STREET,  CHICAGO. 
Witt  be  sent  by  mail,  post-paid  on  receipt  of  price. 


LOS 


'OCT  1  6 


